The Revelator
by Valentina LaFontaine
Summary: Rest should come easy to the guiltless and Scabior has a lot to feel guilty about.
1. Gonna Run Till My Feet Are Raw

Scabior's eyes shot open to see a fiery sky above him, and the sun peaking over the horizon. His heart was beating through his chest, and he broke out in a cold sweat like he had been sprinting in a marathon. He could barely catch his breath and the harder he tried to pace his breathing the harder it became to breathe. When he was finally calm his eye turned to the trees shaking lightly in the wind and the birds singing soft sweet songs despite the cold weather. He closed his eyes and slid his dirty hands down his face. He absolutely hated the serenity of the scene. It wasn't appropriate with his lingering migraine and the image of two muggle borns mangled bodies scattered on the fallen leaves. It didn't bother him, as much as it should've. In fact he felt nothing towards them, but he felt worried for her. Being a snatcher had its advantages. He had knowledge that most wish they could obtain. He knew who was next on his list, and every new fresh piece of parchment with names scribbled in cursive letters was checked.

It had been six or twelve months since he started, but he never knew. It could've been a week for all he could care. Everyday seemed to blend into one eventful one. He smirked at the thought of her being able to slide through the Ministry's thorough system without being checked off once.

He turned his head and his heart nearly jumped to see the werewolf snoring besides him. He couldn't understand why Greyback sent him into a fit of heart palpitations, but then the answer came to him. It was because of the nightmares.

Every night it was the same dream. He was running behind them, staring at their backs as they ran for their lives, but he wasn't trying to snatch them as much as he was trying to warn them. He extended his hand to turn them around, but it was as if he was punching through water. He wasn't fast enough no matter how hard he pushed himself, then before he could see their faces or at least scream at them to stop he would see a flash of green, and he would wake up.

He sat up his lean body from the bed of leaves and dusted the clinging leaves off of his jacket and tangled hair. He reached into his jacket pocket and swiped a bottle of fire whiskey, pulled off the cork and swallowed a gulp full before putting it back in his pocket. He picked himself up and dusted himself off once again, and took out a cigarette from his pants pocket and lit it. He looked not too far from the camp and saw the back of the fellow snatcher guarding the camp. At first it seemed as if he was still awake and alert, but when Scabior took a closer look at the young man he noticed the snatcher's body leaned on against a tree, his head down into his chest and thin line of drool fell from his lips and dribbled down into his coat. His wand laid loosely in his dirtied hands, still giving the appearance he was alert. _'Damn you Wolfie.'_ He thought, smirking and quietly tip toed toward him, trying his best not to wake him.

Scabior knelt close to his face and blew into his ear. The snoring snatcher waved his hand at the air and grunted, but soon fell back into his slumber. Scabior stood up and pointed his wand at the snatcher's coat. A bright orange light flew from the tip of his wand and landed on the Wolfie's coat. The small flame started to grow, but the snatcher didn't stir. "Wolfie?" Scabior sang softly in his ear.

"Hmm?" he asked, sniffing the air and wiping his nose on his dirty hands.

"WOLFIE!" Scabior yelled at the top of his lungs. Wolfie's eyes shot open and to Scabior's. "YER COAT IS ON FIRE, MATE! RUN!"

He rolled around in the leaves frantically, until the flame had died, leaving nothing, but a black mark and the smell of burning fur. Scabior kicked him hard in the bottom sending Wolfie off of his knees and fell flat on his face. The noise had waken Greyback and the other snatchers up from their slumber.

He glanced behind his back and smirked at them, as they rubbed their heavy eyes and muttered under their breaths. "Mornin' gents." He said. "Wake yer sleepy arses up. It's time to keep movin'."

Wolfie red in the face from embarrassment and still shaken from his early morning scare, tried to avoid Scabior's eyes. Noticing this Scabior swayed over to Wolfie and stared at him till their eyes met. "Oi, Wolfie. Did ya 'ave a nice nap?"

The snatcher hesitated on his next move and stared at the leaves beneath his feet. He slowly nodded, then shook his head, then nodded and finally shrugged his shoulders. "Ya? Well you'll get much worse than a li'le singe on yer arse if ya fall asleep 'gain. Ya understand?"

"Yeah." Wolfie responded.

"Good." Scabior replied, shoving his hands in his pockets and making his way forward through the woods. "Come on ya lazy bums. Let's go." He said, walking forward through the trees, listening to the leaves crunch under his boot. He glanced behind him to see his fellow snatchers following along without compliant.

After several minutes of walking aimlessly he decided to check the names he was supposed to have looked at the night before. He opened the piece of parchment carefully, taking a deep breath and holding it. When he was mentally prepared he went down the list.

_Adams, Maureen & Henry  
Alavardo, Lawrence  
Baker, Riley & Hannah  
Bennett, Joshua  
Bush, Buck & Kimberly  
Butler, Rolf & Mary  
Lane, Christine & Orlando  
Murphy, Miriam  
Miller, Gregory  
Meyer, Virginia  
Nash, Marcus & Alberta  
Norris, Verna  
Roberts, McKenzie  
Ross, Rodger  
Wilkes, Ashley  
Wilkerson, June & Thomas_

He let out a sigh of relief, their names weren't there. He shoved a rebellious tangled strand from his face and memorized the list, carefully. Scabior rolled up the parchment and placed it back in his pocket. "Right, come along gents. Put some pep in ya step." He replied casually, following his intuition on the direction of the first name on the list.

* * *

_It's just the first small chapter, the other ones will be much longer I swear. I probably won't be updating this as often because I have a Lucius and Narcissa fic to finish, but I will try to update as often as I can._

_-Val_


	2. I Wanna Do Bad Things With You

The mudblood tried to make a run for it despite her eyes being covered by a black cloth blindfold and her hands tied behind her back. She was practically naked except for her black bra and her panties that were sliding off her bottom. She bit Greyback on his hand, shoved past Wolfie, and ran as far as she could. Greyback tried to run after her, but Scabior held his arm out in front of him.

"'old on doggie." He said with a sly grin on his face. "Just let 'er try."

The mudblood tripped over her own feet and landed flat on her face. Scabior and the other Snatchers couldn't resist laughing. Scabior glanced over at Wolfie, his eyes on the half-naked pale mudblood, his lips curved into a grin, but he couldn't hear a laugh escape from his chapped lips.

"Yer so cute, luv!" Scabior screamed at her. "It's so cute when ya try."

She tried to get up, but fell flat on her face once again. Scabior wrapped his arms around his side from laughing so hard. "Well lads," he replied. "It was fun while it lasted. Get 'er."

Greyback barely had to run to try and catch up with her. He grabbed the girl by the neck and she broke out in a panic scream. Her dirty handprint stained arms and legs waved manically. Wolfie rushed over, trying to help, but she hit him in the face with her tip of her sharp nails. She shoved her body against Greyback and back at Wolfie attempting to break free from them. She kept twisting and turning her body and trying to run. Greyback pulled her back by her hair and slamming her on the ground so hard Scabior could hear a loud crack.

"Whew." He whistled. "I could 'ear those li'le bones crack from 'ere." He casually walked toward her, and used his boot to press down hard on her shoulders. The girl screamed in agony so loud it hurt his ears. "Looks like ya broke yer back luv."

One of the skinner Snatchers, Nikki leaned over her, and ran his finger into her dirt covered panties and cackled. "Hey boss!" he called. "You want a first go at this?" he asked.

Scabior cocked his head at the girl and placed more weight on her. The veins were sticking out of her thin neck and her face was a bright red. He watched her squirm at and writhe in the dirt of the valley as his men gawked at her. He considered it for a moment.

Skinny frame?

Nice tits.

She looked pretty clean.

He liked girls with a fight in them, especially skinny ones with long hair. Her hair was short and almost boyish despite her other qualities. His girls were sharp as a tack and as agile as a lion and as much as he enjoyed watching her fight to live, he hated her scream. She wouldn't stop screaming and it was annoying the hell out of him. He took his foot off of her shoulders and shook his head.

"No, 'ave fun gents."

The snatchers snickered and each took clumps of her flesh greedily. Scabior walked over to the house she had once lived in, still inhaling the burnt flesh and blood of her husband. He took out the list and crossed their names off the parchment and placed it back in his jacket.

He checked on his men and saw a glimpse of Greyback's hairy arse, and turned away. It was a horrifying sight. He opened his note book and started sketching the girl quickly while she was still in his memory.

He drew her back bone creaking out from under her tight, clear skin, her tits bouncing around with the blindfold over her face. He didn't understand why he kept the journal with him. He'd done so ever since he could remember. He enjoyed it as a way to pass the time or when he couldn't get an idea out of his head. He didn't have any pondering thoughts, or worked on any novel. He just enjoyed writing, whatever came to his mind. It passed the time in Azkaban. Of course that was when he was pretending to write in a journal.

_"What are you writing?" _he heard a familiar voice say. He grinned, but didn't look up from the notebook as he started writing words that began with B.

Broken.  
Brave.  
Bar.  
Buck.  
Breast.  
Booze.

_"Let me read what you're writing? I let you see what I drew." _

_"Ya always show me wut ya draw."_

_"Well, then let me see what ya wrote. I'm interested. I can never get into that damn head of yours." _

_"My mind is meant to be a puzzle." _

_"Right, you think 'bout three things, sex, booze, and food." _

_"Me luv? Ya got the 'rong Scabior." _

_"Psh, you're the only Scabior I know that thinks with your head and not the one connected to your shoulders." _

_"I think on its behalf. There's a difference luv." Scabior felt her arm wrap around his neck, slide down his back and stopping to the front of his pants. Her lips kissed the back of his neck and digging her teeth slowly into his flesh. _

_"How bad do you want it?" she whispered into his ear. _

_"Oh, I want it." He said pulling her by the arm and throwing her on the floor. She let loose a giggle and pulled him closer to her by his shirt collar. Their faces were only two inches apart, but their bodies were pressed hard against each other. He inhaled her scent, that scent of vanilla._

_He brought a few strands of tangerine hair to his nostrils and felt his manhood twitch. He separated her legs to let one knee between her thighs. He ran one of his hands up her purple sweater to feel her soft breast against the palm of his hand._

_"Oh luv, you got fat in all the right places." He didn't let her respond. She let out a sigh through her pink parted lips and he inhaled her sweet scent again, placing his nose against her collarbone. He ran his other hand through her tangerine hair and kissed her lips, sliding the hand coddling her breast down her stomach and to her parted legs. _

_He bit her bottom lip hard enough to make her wince, but she didn't dare move and she knew why. She didn't wear any knickers, that was their code- it was his turn to be in control. _

_He stroked her clit and felt her pussy throb at his touch. Her nails dug into his back and she moaned into his mouth._

_He let her fall back on her back as he slithered down her thin body. Her gaze turned to the other room, and she rested on her back. He slid his tongue up and down her clit, and shoved two of his fingers in and out of her womanhood. Her body twitched and throbbed so hard he looked up to see if she was okay. He could sense her coming at any moment, so he stopped. She looked down at him with a disappointed look on her face. _

_"No, no, no, Baby Doll." He said wagging a wet finger at her. "Yer gonna to cum when I tell ya to."_

_She muttered something under her breath and he pulled her by her tangerine hair, digging his nails into her noticeable black roots. "What did ya say?" he asked grinning at her. _

_"Nothing." She said. _

_"Nothing what?" _

_"Nothing, sir." She said, with a smirk on her face. _

_"Wipe that smirk off yer face."he said lightly slapping her face and she obeyed. She never complied like that until after- 'that' happened. "Yer so wet you could drown me." He said, dragging his fingers on her outer lips._

_She grinned and tugged at the buckle on his belt, and slid them down past his knees. He pushed her farther on her back and separated her legs even farther and thrust himself into her. She ran her fingers through his tangled hair, pushing her body against him. He wrapped his fingers around tangerine strands and started with gentle thrust in her. She moaned in his ear, the faster he went the louder her moans became. He held her wrist down and attacked her neck with brutal bites marks. _

_"Not too hard!" she chuckled. "Wouldn't want your mummy to find any love marks, now would we?" _

_"Like I could care." He said breathlessly. "Stop talking so much." _

_"Fine, fine." She said. _

_He was almost half way to his climax, his body was tensing and his pace quickening. "Oh luv…" he said into her bruised neck. _

_"Keep going, Scabbie." She said using the nickname he hated. He glared at her and pulled her tangerine strands even harder and shoved himself into her, using the thumb on his other hand to press into her throat. "Almost…there." She managed to say through gasps. _

_Suddenly the door was shoved open so hard it left a dent mark into the wall. His mind didn't process the commotion until a spell hit him flat in his chest. He heard her scream out loud and quickly throw the sweater down past her bottom half. "Ya couldn't wait till I was fuckin' done?" Scabior snapped through his outrageously beating heart. He felt a heavy force collided with his jaw and he tumbled back onto his back, tasting iron in his mouth._

_"Zip yourself up! No one needs to see your business." he heard one of the figures say. Scabior did it, out of involuntarily action. He felt his jaw start to swell, but he was glad it wasn't broken that was a nasty process he didn't plan to go through again. He looked up to see a gruff looking man with a big blue eye wandering around the room. Scabior's hands were suddenly bound by ropes. "I didn't do anything!" he yelled at them. _

_"Oh yeah? Remember a fellow Auror?" He heard another male voice say. "Remember Conrad Gossow?" he asked Scabior, standing him up on his feet by his tangled hair. _

_"Who?" Scabior asked with a confused look on his face. _

_"Yeah, we'll see." Moody said. "Perhaps a cold cell in Azkaban will jog your memory."_

_"I don't know wut yer talkin' 'bout, old man!" _

_"Slimy little bitch!" he heard her say. He turned his head to watch his girl spit in another Auror's direction. The auror collided his boot with the side of her ribs. Scabior instinctively ran toward the Auror, only to fall flat on his face. "Get him out of here!" _

_"Right, Boss?" the other Auror said. _

_"Boss?"_

"Huh?" Scabior asked, looking up at the blank page of his journal to see Wolfie, dirty and sweaty looking down at him.

"I asked what are you writing?"

"None of yer goddamn business." He replied, looking at the girl. He saw one of her legs about twenty feet away from her torn and crushed body, one of her eyes looked toward the sky, while the other was just an empty hole in her skull.

"Shame…" he said dully. "C'mon lets move boys."

"Where to?"

"We 'ave to visit a Maria Favier before lunch time." Scabior replied. "So if ya want to collect a few galleons for a drink or two 'urry up then. C'mon, let's not laze about."

* * *

Wolfie knocked on the door with the back of his hand. His wand was drawn, but hidden in the sleeve of his jacket. His face remained blank, and emotionless, but he was preparing for any sort of fight, while the other Snatchers waited in the distance.

Wolfie looked at Scabior with uncertainty, but the leader motioned him to knock again. Wolfie did as he was told and waited for a response. The door opened half way. A woman with sandy blonde hair and smeared make up answered the door. "What?" she asked, tightening her jaw.

"Does a Maria Favier live here?" Wolfie asked.

Scabior didn't know why he bothered to force Wolfie knock on the door, usually he just barged in, but he had to get away from the monotony of his job. Scabior however wished Wolfie would cut right to the chase- he couldn't crouch in the dirt forever.

"Yes?" She asked with a hint of irritation in her voice. "What do you want?"

"Nothing. I was wondering if-"

"Who the fuck is that?" Scabior heard a familiar gruff voice say. Maria turned around and said in a sweet voice.

"No one baby. He was just leaving."

"Do I owe you money?" the man asked, peaking his head through the door. His golden hair was messy, and greasy, covering half of face and a cigarette half way out his mouth. He froze in his place and so did Wolfie. "W-Wolfgang? Wolfgang Harson, you son of a bitch!" he said the cigarette falling out of his mouth and landing by Maria's robe. She quickly picked it up and disposed of it in an ash trash.

"Charlie Dupont?" Wolfie asked, but not out of the same happiness Charlie had.

Scabior stood up from his crouched position. His knees cracking, but he ignored it. Charlie wrapped his arms around Wolfie in a brotherly embrace.

"My brother! My brother!" Charlie kept saying over and over again. Wolfie's arms remained still at his side and stiff as a wooden board. Charlie separated from him and shifted him around to face the woman he was staying with.

"Maria, this is Wolfie, my brother from another mother." Charlie said to the pretty muggle born.

"You boys are half-brothers?" she asked with a warm smile on her face.

"No," Charlie replied. "We were best friends ever since we were nine. Hell, we event went to Hogwarts together. Let me get a good look at you." Charlie replied looking Wolfie up and down. "You've gotten skinny, brother! We need to bulk you up a bit." He chuckled, playfully smacking him on the arm. Wolfie didn't smack him back or really look at him. He simply stared off behind Charlie's shoulders as if in a trance.

Before Scabior's mind could process what was happening with his very own eyes, his feet walked toward the house and forward to Charlie. He had the mind set to take the knife in his boot and shove it through his former friend's throat, but he wouldn't. Not now.

Charlie's eyes darted to Scabior. He nearly shoved Wolfie out the way to get to him. He ran toward him and stopped only a foot away from the tangled haired man.

"Scabior, is it really you?" His arms were outstretched in a hug.

Scabior didn't respond or move. Instead he stared into his eyes and ground his teeth so hard his jaw started to ache. Charlie waited for a few seconds and suddenly wrapped his arms around him and picked him up off the ground. He was as stiff as Wolfie was, until Charlie put him back down on the muddy ground. Scabior adjusted his leather jacket on him, and glared at him, but Charlie barely seemed to notice.

"My brother!" he said. "I missed you, mate! You've gotten scrawny, just like Wolf."

"And I see wut I lost, ya found." He said pointing to the growing gut Charlie had under his dirty white shirt.

Charlie shrugged and cackled. "You're still an asshole."

"Yeah, Azkaban does that to ya." Scabior replied with a mocking smile on his face his eyes never leaving Charlie's. Charlie chuckled and wiped his nose quickly with the back of his hand.

"You're not still bitter about that are ya?" he asked. "I did everything I could to help you and Wolf out- I told you that- I mean- you're like a brother to me and I love you. You know that right?"

Scabior turned to the other Snatchers who looked just as confused as if they were in front of a black board with complicated math. He ignored them and turned his eyes met Wolfie's. He nodded at Wolfie and Wolfie nodded back.

"Yeah," Scabior said holding his arms out for Charlie, but with a loose grin on his face. "You're my brother Charlie. You always will be."

Charlie smiled and they shared one last brief hug. Charlie motioned them to come inside. "You want a drink?" he asked.

"I could drink." Scabior replied, darkly, following behind him.

"Boss?" he heard Nikki ask looking at him with an eyebrow rose into an arch.

"Stay there." He said, leaving the other Snatchers. Charlie was already on his way into the house. "Maria, get me and my boys a beer." Maria nodded and obediently did as she was told. Scabior noticed the back of Charlie's neck. The tattoo of a stag that he, Charlie and Wolfie received together going into their sixth year at Hogwarts was still on the back of his neck. Scabior felt a wave of fury hit him so hard he could've skinned him where he stood.

Scabior passed Wolfie and they both exchanged glances. Wolfie looked confused and infuriated and Scabior resembled a blank slate. He bottled his emotions and saved them for the proper moment, he had to hold on for a few moments- however long it took.

_"What are you going to do?" _Wolfie asked as they filed into the house. His eyes were puzzled and his back even more hunched over than before. _"Don't say anythin'."_ Scabior replied. _"Just let me do the talkin'." _

_"But what if-." _

_"Shut up!" Scabior said through his teeth as the Auror's pushed them through the doors of the Ministry. "We stick by the plan and we don't say shit." _

_"Fine." Wolfie replied. _

_As they pushed through the doors to the Auror's office, Scabior saw Charlie with the same white ropes around his wrist, but his hair was still wet and his clothes were sticking to his body like he had been dipped completely into water, perhaps that's what they did. Charlie's eyes met Scabior's and he looked just about as scared as Wolfie, but Scabior mouthed; "Don't say anythin'." _

_Charlie nodded, but kept his eyes down. Scabior however kept his head up and above as walked with a slightly cocky swag, like he belonged there. _

_Mad Eye Moody pushed him in a lone chair in a dark room and one of his eyes looked at her. "You will stay here, do not move, someone will here shortly. You even try anything and I'll-" _

_"I get it, old man. Get out of my face, yer breath really stinks." _

_Mad Eye grumbled under his breath and limped his way out the room. It hadn't been even a minute when a skinny man who looked like he was near starving walked into the room. He had long light brown hair that had little wisps of gray in the temples. _

_Scabior knew the routine, he had been there before. It was a prisoner's dilemma, plain and simple. They were going to try to play that card- they tried it before. There were a couple possible outcomes that would or wouldn't work in his favor, if his other comrades followed the plan through and through. _

_The best possible outcome was for all three of them to not say anything, right now it was all suspicion, but if they have one shred of guilt they would be sentenced to Azkaban for the rest of their lives. The worst possible outcome for them is if they two or all talked and they would all wind up in Azkaban, however there would only be one bright side for one of them only one talked. Another outcome would be they found evidence and no one talked. That was fifty/fifty chance that they would be set free or go to Azkaban or use Veritaserum and get their answer anyway. _

_"Hello." Remus said with a nod. _

_"Evenin'." He could barely talked from his swollen jaw, but he forced himself through the pain._

_The closer he got to the light Scabior could see the scars on his face that looked deep and resembled claw marks. "I'm Remus Lupin." _

_"Scabior."_

_"Do you know what you're here?" he asked, digging into the pocket of his robes and pulling out a small vial. _

_"Nope." Scabior said, his eyes on the vial._

_"Open up." Lupin said uncorking the vial. Scabior stared down at it, like he didn't trust it. For all he known it could've been the Draught of Living Death, or Veritaserum, but he preferred the former. "It's to help your jaw, son." Lupin held the vial to the younger man's mouth. "Do you want it or not?" _

_Scabior opened his mouth partly and Lupin leaned the vial into his mouth and Scabior slowly drank it. He could tell the difference between a normal healing potion and Veritaserum. After he felt the swelling of his jaw turn back to normal he fell back into his seat. _

_"Thanks." Scabior said with a nod, not forgetting his manners. Lupin sat down in his seat and opened a roll of parchment. _

_"I've been told you killed a man and not just any man, an Auror." _

_"I did?" said Scabior his brow furrowed. "I don' know wut yer talkin' 'bout." _

_"Really?" Remus asked, leaning forward with his wand in his hands. "Those ropes look tight." _

_"And annoyin'." Scabior said. _

_"Even if I untie you, you still won't be able to try anything. There's several charms 'round here." _

_"I'm an innocent man." Scabior said as the ropes fell off of his wrist. He massaged his wrist getting feeling back in them, but he knew it would bruise. "Innocent men don't run." _

_"True." Lupin replied nodding his head. "Was the blonde boy your friend." _

_"Depends, what did he do?" _

_"He apparently didn't do anything. We already talked with him." _

_Scabior's stomach jolted and his teeth clenched so tight he knew his jaw was going to be even sorer by morning. "And what did he say?" Scabior asked. _

_"He told us that you and Wolfgang killed Gossow-." _

_"Gossow?" he asked with a brow raised. _

_"Conrad Gossow." _

_"I don' know anybody by t'at name." _

_"I see." Lupin replied nodding. "May I finish?" _

_"Certainly." Scabior replied. "Wait, before ya start may I 'ave a smoke?" _

_"I don't smoke." _

_"Don't worry I got me own." Scabior replied reaching into his pants pocket and pulling out one lone cigarette. Lupin used the tip of his wand to light the cigarette. Scabior exhaled smoke and slouched lazily in the chair, crossing one leg over the other. "You were sayin'." _

_"Yes," Lupin said clearing his throat. "He already said you and Wolfgang killed Gossow, and you dragged him along, you both went to the pub for a drink, and you then proceeded to go home." _

_Scabior took a drag from his cigarette and nodded. "Finished?" he asked. _

_"Yes." _

_"'e's full of shit." Scabior replied. "Pardon my French…" _

_"We're all men here."_

_"True." _

_"So it's fair to say, this isn't true?" _

_"Not at all." _

_They remained in silence for several minutes, until Scabior was done with his cigarette. "Do you have a family?" _

_"Yes." Scabior replied. _

_"Mother? Wife? Kids?" _

_"Yes. Yes. Yes." _

_"Ah, so that's who was on the floor with you then." He said half joking, but Scabior didn't laugh. "How many kids do you have?" _

_"One. A son." _

_"What's his name?" _

_"Colt." _

_"That's an interesting name." _

_"'e's an interestin' boy." Scabior replied cracking his knuckles and stretching his limbs out until he sighed with relaxation. _

_"How old is he?" Lupin asked. _

_"He's eight months." _

_"Ah, you've got a lot to lose then." _

_"Puttin' an innocent man behind bars wit' a young child and wife? Yea' I would say so." _

_"You used to work in Liam Cutting's Pub right?" _

_"Yes." Scabior sighed with irritation getting annoyed with the questions._

_"What did you do?" _

_"I clean up the vomit and serve the drinks. Ya look like a drinker… I'll give ya a free one on the 'ouse." _

_Lupin's mouth twitched, like he was considering his offer, but soon the look was gone. "But do you own the bar." _

_"It was willed over to me w'en Cutting passed." Scabior replied. _

_"But even running a bar, minus the inside business that goes on-please don't interrupt me Scabior." Lupin said as Scabior opened his mouth. Scabior crossed his arms and let him continue. "Prostitution, gambling… but that's another story for another time. I just find it odd that you only own a bar, but you have enough money to buy a bigger house for yourself, a new home for your mother, tons of new things for your new born son?"_

_"Savings." Scabior replied simply. _

_"Savings?" he asked. "How old are you?" _

_"Twenty-two." _

_"When did you get the pub?" _

_"A year ago give or take." _

_"And you don't run this pub by yourself right? You have employees, correct?" _

_"Of course." Scabior said tensing up with every question. His cover was slowly starting to unravel. _

_"How many?" _

_"Twenty or less." _

_"Not including prostitutes, gamblers, and so on right?" _

_"Yes." _

_"You pay for beer, cleaning supplies, food, chairs, tables, and the back room for V.I.P members correct." _

_"Yes." _

_"So with all of that you could probably afford a decent house, but I don't know about your mum or having money stashed at Gringotts? No way in hell-" _

_"What does this have to do with anything?" Scabior snapped. _

_"Everything." Lupin replied. "We know Cutting ran an inside job… members from all sorts of people dying in odd ways, suddenly. So called suicides, accidents, and just missing bodies in general… Cutting made a really big business in that… Conrad Gossow had a lot of power in the Ministry and he was tell the Ministry about what you did, right? Bad job gone wrong, a murder? Something happened and you didn't want him to talk. So your co-owners- your best mates from school decided to keep him silent- dead men tell no tales correct?" _

_Scabior didn't reply, but Lupin barely noticed. "You have a lot to lose Scabior…you have a young boy who needs a dad, a wife and a mother who doesn't want to see her son rot in Azkaban for the rest of his life. All you have to do is tell us everything and we can get you a reduce of time in Azkaban or get you off completely. Prove that Wolfgang and Charlie were the culprits and you can go home, and teach your son how to walk, talk and how to play Quidditch. All you have to do is tell us. We're here to help, Scabior. A boy never grows up right unless a Father is there." _

_Scabior thought for a moment. He had never given ratting such a thought before. With Cutting he'd shrug off such a monologue and owl'd his sister for legal defense (she was a cut throat in the Ministry), but in a way Lupin was right. He did have too much to lose. He didn't even know if Charlie did rat, but he couldn't risk being the rat out of fear. Lupin wanted to scare them into ratting on each other, thus sending all three of them to Azkaban for life. _

_Scabior looked up at the scars on his face and shrugged. "I wish I could 'elp ya, Scarface. I really wish I could, but I don' know wut yer talkin' 'bout." _

_Lupin hung his head and sighed. "Alright." With a wave of his wand the ropes went back on Scabior's wrist and he was led out of the room. The bright lights burned his eyes and he was shoved in a seat next to Wolfie. _

_"Well?" he asked. _

_"I didn't say anything." Wolfie said with a nod. _

_"Good." _

_Wolfie hesitated and cleared his throat. "You think Charlie… would-." _

_"Charlie is our friend. 'e wouldn' talk. It's just bullshit to get ya paranoid." _

_A female Auror walked toward them with her hands on a piece of parchment. _

_"Evenin'." She said. "Your trial will be tomorrow night, but until then you'll be placed in Azkaban for the time being." _

_"Fine." Scabior said. From the corner of his eye he saw golden hair. Scabior turned his head and saw Charlie massaging his wrist. He was grabbing the jacket, watch, and wand he came in with. He placed the jacket around his shoulders and placed his wand in his pocket. _

_"That son of a-" Scabior jumped up and though his hands were tied he ran toward Charlie. "You ratted?" he exclaimed at him. The female auror waved her wand at him, and an invisible barrier separated the two men. Charlie looked terrified. _

_"I didn't rat… I… I didn't…I swear." He stammered_

_"COWARD!" Wolfie screamed at him being held back by another Auror. _

_"You are dead-" Scabior screamed at him. "When I get out of here You. Are. Dead!" _

_"I…I'm sorry…" Charlie said turning his back to them the stag on the back of his neck was staring at him. _

_"CHARLES FRANCIS DUPONT! LOOK AT ME, BOY!" Scabior screamed at him. Charlie turned around. "You get rid of that!" he exclaimed. _

_"What?" _

_"The stag, wanker! The stag. Ya burn it, cut it- I don't care! Get that shit off ya neck!" _

_Charlie opened his mouth to say something, but slowly walked out of the office, not looking back. The damn stag, stared back at Scabior. _

_"What are we going to do?" _Wolfie whispered, finishing his third beer.

"Let 'em relax." Scabior muttered. Maria was falling asleep in the small arm chair next to Charlie. Scabior's feet were propped up on the dent coffee table, and Charlie drank his cheap beer like he'd never drink again. Wolfie however remained silent, keeping his eyes into the roaring fire place.

"Damn." Charlie replied, getting drunker opening his sixth beer. "This reminds me of old times. Are you still seeing Ivory?" Charlie asked Wolfie, taking a large gulp from his beer.

Wolfie shook his head. "No." he said.

"Sorry mate. Nice girl."

"Yeah." Wolfie replied.

"Are ya kiddin' me?" Scabior scoffed, looking between Charlie and Wolfie. "Ivory wasn' nice at all - Bitter, short-tempered, bitchy-"

"You are only saying that because she's your ex." Wolfie said, keeping his eyes into the fire place. "She isn't a bitch. She's a good mum."

"And don' know when to shut the 'ell up." Scabior said.

"You knew how to keep her in line though." Charlie said with a laugh to Scabior. " With Wolf, she walked all over him."

"I bust 'er jaw a couple of times." Scabior said casually with a shrug. Wolfie's shoulders stiffened, but he remained silent. "Gave 'er a black eyes and a broken nose at t'at. She didn't 'it me no more though."

Charlie let out a high pitched laugh. "Women are like dogs, Wolf." Wolfie's eyes darted to Charlie's. "Just slap them around a few times if they give ya lip. Train them, right Marion?" he asked the girl sitting in the chair.

"Maria." She corrected, but he ignored her. Scabior could see a big enough bruise in her chest and one on her wrist.

"I'll take note of that." Wolfie replied, taking the back of his hand to wipe the black paint from around his eyes.

"You better." Charlie said. "Ivory wouldn't stop talking and if you told her to shut her trap she'd flip a shit."

"She just got a lot to say." Wolfie replied. "If you let her talk she'll wear down."

"Or just knock her teeth out." Charlie said. "You have a strong right hook, Wolf. Put it to good use"

"Yeah, I do." Wolfie said sticking a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it.

"So do something about it. Charlie said. "If she stuck around I mean—she did give ya some pretty cute kids though, Wolf. Don't know why ya didn't make me the godfather though."

"Because that's my job, Charles." Scabior said sipping the cheap beer.

"That's right, I remember." Charlie said finishing his beer and opening another bottle. "Jackie loved ya a lot."

"She's my Jack-Jack." Scabior said with a proud smile, remembering the little girl with the blonde hair that looked like Ivory's, that same curly blonde hair. She had to have been at least eight now, and Little Wolfgang was probably nine. "It was hard not to like 'er, despite who 'er mother was."

"Will she even remember both of ya?" Charlie asked. Wolfie straightened himself in his seat and stared back into the fire. Scabior felt the urge to use his wand and slay his former friend, but he couldn't. He wanted Charlie drunker.

"She's smart." Wolfie finally said. "She started talking when she was a year old. She'll remember us. I know it."

"Good luck." Charlie said, throwing back another beer and opening another, and turned to Scabior. "Speaking of old flames, where's ya girl and your boy?

Scabior wanted to cut his throat. "I don' know. They can' be far though."

"Since you're out and about you should look her up."

Scabior smirked and another small sip of his beer. "Yeah, maybe I will." Scabior looked at Maria, already sleeping, with her head propped up on her hand. "Whose she to ya?" he asked using his beer bottle to point to her.

"Oh her?" Charlie asked pointing with his thumb. He was stammering and stumbling over his words. "She's a thing. Yeah, just a thing. Do you need to take her to the Ministry or something?" he asked downing his beer and opening another bottle just as quickly.

"Yeah." Scabior said with a shrug. "Part of the job."

"I understand, brother." He replied. "I completely understand."

"Good."

"Take her quietly. I don't need her screamin' in my ear." Charlie grumbled downing his beer as if it was water. Scabior wanted him to get as drunk as he could and he waited patiently for him to open his eighth beer, then his ninth and soon his tenth. Charlie wasn't like him or Wolfie as much as he tried to be. He was always the light weight of the group. He let Charlie ramble on about the war, and his opinion as if they were wanted, however Scabior remained quiet.

"It's funny how we all met up like this." Charlie stammered throwing the glass across the room landing in some forgotten corner of the room. The shattering glass awakened Wolfie from his day dream, but Scabior didn't flinch. "Almost as if it were a sign from the gods you know?"

"Ya think so?"

"Yeah-" Charlie snorted. "I think it's the gods telling us to put all that shit behind us."

"Yeah- I bet that's what ya think when ya been free to do what ya want."

"Yeah- I mean- what are you sayin' brother?"

"'ave ya ever been to Azkaban, Charlie?"

Charlie stared at him for a moment and looked at Wolfie who was staring at him blankly. "No."

"No? Then who are ya to say we should put be'ind us or not?"

"Look, bro-"

"I'm not your brother." Scabior said coldly. "My mum wouldn't give birth to a pussy shit."

"Huh?"

"Shut up Charlie." Scabior said, taking his feet from the coffee table and placing each one of them on the floor. The knife he kept in his boot was out in his palm and he gently stroked the blade. Charlie opened his mouth to say something. "Ssh…" he replied. "You'll wake Maria."

"Bro-Scabior- look man-."

"Ssssh." He said again. "This is the last time, I'm telling ya this or I'll cut to the chase quite quickly and I'll cut yer throat." Charlie fell silent, his hands shaking.

"It's funny what ya said 'bout signs." Scabior replied. "I think this was a sign. This was a sign from wotever 'igher fuckin' power upstairs to finish this job. Yer a true brother to me and Wolfie- till you ratted. I know wot yer goin' to tell me."

Scabior paused only for a minute to look at Maria, and luckily for him she was in a heavy sleep.

"Yer goin' to tell me ya had no option- ya 'ad no choice, but to do wot ya did… well dear brother of mine, ya always 'ave a choice. Ya could've kept yer mouth shut maybe we would've gotten off and maybe we wouldn't 'ave, at least we would've stuck by the plan. Ya see, I 'ad a kid and a pretty wife. Wot did you 'ave? No one, but yerself as ya keep sayin'. Wolfie 'ad Ivory and their two kids- wot did you have? No one but yerself. Ya see this?" he asked pulling up the sleeve of his arm with several symbols on his pale flesh, and underneath it a skeleton key.

"That's what I 'ave to pass the time in Azkaban. Ya want to see something else?" he asked, pulling down his shirt to see several numbers on the side of his neck closer to his collar bone. "Another time to pass in Azkaban—show 'em wot ya 'ave, Wolf."

Wolfie took off his fingerless leather gloves and in the palm of his hand there was a black and white tattoo of a daffodil on the palm of his hand. "This was what Jacqueline brought me during the trial. She liked daffodils. It's nice when you have nothing to look at, but darkness, and sea."

Charlie opened his mouth to say something to make his plea, but Scabior waved a hand in front of him.

"I spent four years in t'ere- maybe five -I don't even know and the whole time I wasn't thinkin' 'bout how I'm goin' to suck up to my only friends and weasel my way out of trouble, because I was thinking of one thing. First was I was gonna to get laid, second I was gonna to get smashed and third I was gonna to kill ya and I don' mean kill ya as in hurt ya. I mean I'm gonna bash yer skull in. Now, I already did two of those things, wot is it gonna to be?" he asked. "It's little things like those thoughts, and the tattoos to keep ya goin', yet ya sat on yer ass and got fat, while Wolfie and I sat in a damp cell with dementors on our shit every moment of our lives, like animals."

"Please, Scabior." Charlie said scanning the room hazily for his wand. "I'm really sorry… Scabior… Wolfie I can trust you right?" Charlie asked trying to get up. Scabior pulled out his wand from his leather jacket and pointed it at him and a flash of white light hit him square in the chest.

"Scabior-" Charlie started to say. Maria's eyes shot open. She tried to get up to run, but Wolfie, cast ropes from his wand to wrap around her.

"_Crucio."_ Scabior said in a sing song voice pointing his wand to Charlie. A flash of red hit his body, making him writhe in pain and his scream was so loud his it rang off the walls and cause Maria to scream herself. "_Crucio_!" Scabior said again this time with only more force. Sweat fell down Charlie's brow and his muscles twitched.

"Did ya really think yer li'le song and dance could help ya?" Scabior screamed at him moving his hips and waving his hands into a contorted dance. Charlie curled himself on the floor, sweat dripping off of his body. "Did a REALLY think ya could convince me not to kill ya? Did you—CRUCIO! DO NOT TURN YER BACK ON ME, CHARLES! I DON' KNOW WHETHER YER TOO CRAZY OR TOO STUPIUD FER YER OWN DAMN GOOD OR—- WOT DID I SAY 'BOUT TURNIN' YER BACK TO ME—_CRUCIO! CRUCIO! CRUCIO_!"

Scabior took a step back breathlessly and looked at Wolfie and took a step back. "This is yer fight too, Wolf." Wolfie stood over him and said in a calm voice to match his calm demeanor.

"_Crucio_."

After several more crucio's from the two men, Scabior cracked his knuckles. "Knife or fire." He asked Charlie.

"What?" he asked, barely conscious.

"I told you to take off that tattoo."

"I… t-t-tr-tried…"

"Not 'ard 'nough." Scabior said placing his wand back in his pocket. "Knife it is."

He pushed Charlie's weak head into the wood floor and dragged the knife down the back of his neck. His legs and back twitched, and his muscles tensed, but he didn't scream. When he was finished he slammed the knife into his side between his ribs.

_'That's a kill.'_

Charlie gasped for air muttering under his breath, and a lone tear falling down his eye. "I got a lung." Scabior smiled at Wolfie, and Wolfie grinned back.

"We're going to go now, Charles." Scabior replied.

"Scabior…" He tried to say.

"You've got 'bout twenty minutes worth of oxygen left- don't waste it." Scabior replied.

Wolfie snatched up his coat and they left dragging Maria with them. When they were far enough away Scabior pointed his wand at the house and set it on fire. The other Snatchers were busy smoking cigarettes, drinking or sleeping. Scabior kicked the sleeping snatcher in the side. "Wake up, we're done here."

"What do we do with the girl?" Greyback asked barring his yellow fang like teeth.

Scabior looked at her, then at the burning house. "Whatever ya want."

* * *

Maria was a very reluctant captive, but a quiet one none the less. Scabior liked the quiet ones only after a long day, he didn't feel like chasing her down. He probably would've killed her if she tried to run. He wasn't in the mood for a chase.

Nikki was the first to have his turn with her. She was motionless and still and let it happened. Perhaps watching Charlie be practically tortured in front of her made her snap or maybe she just didn't care anymore. Scabior assumed it was a mixture of both. She stared above their shoulders and waited for the other to take a turn. Scabior didn't have a go at her. After all he was very selective with his women.

He wasn't sure why Maria had decided to wait until they were ready to disapperate to the Ministry. She wasn't going to go down without a fight. Scabior had his back turned to her as he smoked his cigarette. He felt a force hit him hard in the ribs. He couldn't catch his breath, and he was sure his rib was cracked. Maria took off running with the large rock she had in her hand.

"Snatch 'er!" Scabior gasped trying to suck up the pain enough to run. Greyback was the first to catch up with her. She threw the rock at Greyback's head, but it barely hurt him. With one mighty firm grip he wrapped a hairy hand around her neck. She kicked and twisted and turned as his grip became tighter. With a short crack, the kicking stopped.

"Good boy." Scabior replied patting Greyback on the top of his head. He rubbed the side where she hit him with the rock and ignored the pain. "Right, lads come on. Pick 'er up."

They walked on for a mile or more, Scabior never knew how long, nor did he care. He wanted to walk, just to be left alone to his thoughts. Maria was cradled Greyback's arms and he knew the werewolf wanted a bite of her. Just one, but Scabior didn't let that happen. Not out of respect for her corpse, but out of the sheer spite to torture the Greyback.

Scabior had his hands in his pocket when he got a whiff a sweet vanilla scent, one he knew all too familiar. He stopped in his tracks and inhaled the scent once again.

"Wot's that?" he asked out loud. The other snatchers stopped in their tracks as he scavenged for the source of the smell. His manhood twitched when he thought of who it was

It was her.

He walked toward the scent, but he didn't see her. He smelled her. She was nearby, but why couldn't he see her. "What's what?" Greyback asked.

"That… smell…"

"What smell?" Wolfie asked sniffing the air. Scabior took another whiff of her smell and hoped she would reveal herself. He waited and waited, just inhaling it.

"Boss?" Wolfie asked. "Is… something wrong."

"No." Scabior replied turning away from the smell. He looked down at Maria's dead body lying in the leaves at Greyback's feet. "Are ya havin' a li'le trouble with t'at?"

"No." the werewolf said.

"Then come on. Pick it up!" Scabior snapped.

* * *

_Just so you know it weaves in and out of Scabior's memories to the present day. Hope you enjoyed! Leave a review please._

_-Val_


	3. Girl Of The North Country

He had been searching for the source of that intoixcating aroma for months, although it felt like years to him. Scabior hoped she would just show herself at any moment, so he could know she was at least alive. Every once in a blue moon he thought he'd smell her scent, but it was only his imagination and wishful thinking.

_'Damn that woman.'_ He would often think, as he walked through the woods or had some time to himself. Usually it would be after he enjoyed the pleasurable company of a woman or he couldn't sleep at the end of another grueling day. He couldn't understand why she hadn't appeared before him. Was she still angry with him? Was there something she was hiding from him? He couldn't come up with a logical explanation for her unwillingness to see him. Then again he figured perhaps it was Greyback, not many wizards take kindly to werewolves. Scabior didn't trust him either, but he had barely a choice in the matter.

When he had just given up hope of every smelling her fragrance again, he found a pink scarf tied to a tree. He unwrapped the scarf from around the tree and took in a whiff of the scent. It had to have been another clue that she was still alive. He wrapped the scarf around his neck, taking a few moments to admire the fabric. He ran a long nail up and down its woven thread and inhaling the scent again and again, until he started to feel a semi coming.

When he was alone on lookout duty, he'd take the tip of the scarf and place it in his mouth, closed his eyes and let the thread become soaking wet in his mouth. He wondered what she looked like to this day. He remembered her with multicolored hair throughout the years, and her way of dress changing with every passing day. When he first saw her she would wear large sweaters- even in summer. When he left for Azkaban on the day of his trial, she was wearing the cloudless lace shirt he bought her for her birthday the year before, a short black skirt that barely reached past her butt, lined stocking and heeled boots. If he could've had the chance he would've taken her one last time with the entire Wizengamont to watch. Maybe they would learn a few things.

She looked good before the kid and she looked even better afterward, still skinny, but at least she had a nice arse and fuller tits. He wondered what she was wearing now, and most important what did she look like under it. He wondered if she still kept that tattoo of the black heart on her chest with his name under it or the shield knot on her back. He stared at the skeleton key he still had on his wrist.

_'The key to my heart.' she said, placing his hand on her chest_.

He hadn't forgotten her. He couldn't forget the day he got it. He remembered every tattoo he ever recieved from the Azkaban tattoos, the stag on his arm. He didn't remember getting the scorpion on his right arse cheek because he was sixteen and rat faced.

He sucked and ran his tongue down the fabric of the scarf and place his other hand below his belt and tried to get a good picture of her in his mind.

"W'ere are ya, kid?" he said out loud.

_"Don't call me kid." she snapped. Her hand was clasped in his as they walked on the sands of the shore, the water hitting and chilling their bare feet. He didn't like the beach, but it was her choice of where they would visit tonight. She wanted to go to Midian, the beach where all the elite purebloods went to vacation. The aristocrates would sit on the beach in their expensive bathing suites only to just stick their toes in the water, burn in the sun and have polite conversations. Scabior debated going on year and just stunned them by skinny dipping into the ocean. It was May and the water was still freezing cold against his toes. He couldn't understand what a couple more months waiting would've done, but she was so impatient. At least he could've shed his clothes and laid in the water if it was July._

_"I loved the beach." She said, in a soft tone, reminiscing what little she could remember, from her past. "I remember going to the beach, just to collect shells. I had a lot of them, I think. I think I used to keep them in a blue box. This is where they found me." _

_"Who?" _

_"I don't know. Some couple found me wandering around here." _

_"Why do ya keep comin' here then, luv?" Scabior asked. He must've asked that question a million times, and yet he received no clear answer from her. It hurt her, and he would get annoyed when she started crying when he tried to screw her in the sand. He hated when she cried. It was as if she dragged her nails on a blackboard. _

_"To try to remember." she said, her eyes watering with tears. He rolled his eyes and let go of her hand, placing them to his side and trailed off near the water, holding in the shivers from the ice water. "What?" she asked. _

_"Nothin'." He said, looking out towards sea. He plopped himself into the sand and pulled a bottle of fire whiskey in his jacket pocket, ripped open the cork and took a swig from it. _

_"Great." he heard her mutter. "You're going to get drunk." _

_"Yes." He replied. She looked at him wide eyed and confused, like she hadn't expected his response. "Yeah, I 'eard ya." He said taking a bigger gulp just to spite her. _

_"It's getting tiring." She replied, plainly. "Learn to vomit in the loo, and not on my good bed sheets, dipshit." _

_"Yer still talkin' 'bout this?" he sighed, taking a even bigger swig from the bottle._

_She pushed several strands of blue hair from her face and sat in the sand beside Scabior and he got a sudden whiff of her vanilla scent. She didn't respond to hisquestion for whatever reason and he didn't care. Her actions in the past couple months made her presence more irritating, but he knew what this stage was, it was the same with Ivory. _

_He was getting tired of her. _

_It normally happened to all of the girls he dated in the past. _

_It took longer with Ivory, because she turned a blind eye to him courting other girls, but he was aware of her wandering ways as well. He weighed his options of going to the pub and picking up a girl or staying with her to get bitched at. He needed someone new. He was tired of clawing at the same body, and in the same position because she was too lazy to do all the work sometimes. He was tired of staring at her while she plucked her eyebrows and asking him how they turned out. He didn't care either way. He was especially tired of her dog, Little Baby. She carried Little Baby everywhere they went. It was cute at first, but it wasn't after awhile. He wanted to go out to dinner without having his thoughts interupted by a bark or her cooing at it everytime it chased it's tail. She always chased her tail, it wasn't cute after a year. It took several tries to get her away from the damn dog so they could have a moment alone. That was a fight in itself and he was already worn out._

_"It's so peaceful here." She commented. He ran a finger up and down her arm, hoping at least to get some action. "I'm not in the mood." She muttered. He exhaled sharply through his nostrils and took another swig form his whiskey bottle. _

_"I'm goin' 'ome." He stated, standing up and brushing wet sand off him. _

_"Then go." She said. _

_"Are ya gonna be al'ight by yerself?" he asked, half uncaring and the other half a mixture of other emotions. He was too buzzed to really know. She spun her head around and glared. _

_"Why do you care? All you want to do is go to the pub, have sex and fall asleep. I wanted to share something with you, and you-" She stopped and stared into the wet sand._

_"Ya told me t'at damn story a million times before!" _

_"You're so selfish you know that? You're a selfish, sloppy little brat!" _

_"Oh, we're 'aving this fight again, are we? Yer weird, kid. Yer fuckin' weird. Fer once I wanted to 'ave a normal evenin' and all ya did was bitch 'bout everything!" _

_"Maybe I wouldn't bitch so much if weren't such a fuck up!"_

_"Fuck you!"_

_"Fuck you! Just… go over there or something." She said pointing in the opposite direction of the beach._

_"I will!" he snapped at her and spun away from her, kicking sand in her direction. He threw on his combat boots, ignoring the awkward feeling sand in between his toes and disapparating. _

_He apparated in front of the pub and stormed inside, to destroy any guilt he felt about leaving her behind. He ordered three shots of whiskey to start. He debated whether or not to go back for her, or to talk to the already drunk girl dancing on one of the tables. He wrestled with it for several minutes and decided to get laid instead. _

_The slut was too sloppy drunk to do anything without his guidance, and screwing her in the loo of the bar with the smell of shit, vomit and spilled liquor wasn't an aphrodisiac. He had to concentrate to keep his woody alive. He would move and shift her body and legs into position to the point where it was almost rape. When he was finished, he walked out of the loo and ordered another drink. By the time he turned his head, she was back on the table asking other men to go to the loo with her. He made a mental note to grab any potion possible to keep himself from growing ill from that whore. _

_By the time he came home, she still wasn't there. He could see the sun peak over the horizon from the curtained window in front of their bed. Little Baby, the black terrier he couldn't tear her away from was asleep by the door waiting for them. The dog kept going back and forth between him and the door. Lying by his side occasionally, while he slept and the returning back to the door._

_When he woke up, he was lying flat on the pillow in his own small puddle of drool. Little Baby was no longer by the door, but he could hear the dogs claws clap against the floor of the bathroom. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and walked slowly into the loo. He felt sick from the lingering hangover, and from the pussy stench he still had on him. _

_He leaned on the door and knocked slowly. He didn't hear a response. _

_"Are ya still mad?" he asked. _

_She didn't say a word_

_He hated the silent treatment and he wasn't one to beg for her to talk. She hated that. She wanted him to beg and plead, but he didn't care. He liked the silence. "Ya can't hide from me, ya know?" _

_Silence. _

_"Fine." he said leaning off the door and walking away from it. He was halfway back to the bed, when he heard her say in a croaky voice _

_"The door is open." She finally said. _

_He didn't waste time and quickly opened the door. Little Baby looked up at him and got up on her back paws and pawed at his pants. He normally would've picked her up and pet her head for a minute or two and place her back on the floor, but instead he stared at her, sitting in the bathtub. Her tiny, pale body was bruised and dirtied. Her head placed on her knees and her wet blue strands clinging onto her back. _

_"What do you want?" she asked. _

_"Wanted to make sure ya got 'ome, intact." _

_"Yeah." she replied, not looking up._

_The closer he came to her, the darker her bruises were and the dirt on her back resembled dirty hand prints. He frowned and reached to touch them, but she shook at his touch. The first thought that came to his mind was she fucked someone. Perhaps it was justifiable from his romp with the whore or maybe his suspicions were his guilt talking. _

_"Ya fucked someone didn' ya?" he asked in a dark tone, his fist curling in and out and his blood pressure sky rocketing. _

_"Leave me alone." _

_He was tempted to smack the living shit out of her. He only hit a woman once, twice-perhaps more, but Ivory would always hit him back. He wasn't sure how she would react. She wasn't a fighter like Ivory. She'd probably poison his food. _

_"Baby Doll?" he said. "Look, at me." _

_"I-I don't want you to see." _

_"Let me see." He said pulling her firmly by her hair and turning her head. Her face had cuts and bruises along her cheek bones. Her lip was split, her nose looked broken and the skin around her brown eyes was blackened and bruised. "I'm sorry…" she said._

_"What happened?" He asked, feeling his anger drop and a wave of nausea hit him. _

_She didn't respond. _

_"Tell me." He said. "I won' get mad, I promise." _

_"You-you wouldn't understand." She said. _

_"Wot makes ya say t'at?" _

_"Just the way you are, Scabior. You wouldn't understand. You wouldn't be able to grasp anything that has just happened." _

_"Try me." Scabior said_

_She didn't say a word, instead she simply curled up in the water and pressed her forehead to her knees. He sighed and took the sponge from the bathtub caddy and gently scrubbed off the dirt prints from her skin. She was motionless and seemed unaware of her presence or even his. He'd only seen that look once before on the day his mum had to bury his older brother. _

_"Can ya stand?" he asked her. She thought for a moment and shrugged. _

_"For a little while." She said. _

_He lifted her out of the bathtub and placed her on the floor, wrapping a towel around her. _

_"Put yer arm 'round my neck, okay?" _

_"Okay." _

_He lifted her up and carried her to their bed and placed her on the mattress. She looked like a little broken doll, that someone had neglected and beaten. Her eyes cast down and her shoulders curved. She turned her body so her back was facing him and curled into a fetal position. He laid beside her, placing his hand on her arm. She tensed at his touch, but as he massaged the skin on her arm she eventually softened. _

_Scabior had to know what happened. He hated not knowing anything. It was his girl and he had a right to know. He partly wanted to know so it would make himself feel better and he wanted to know to help her. He didn't like seeing her this way. He even started to feel a little sorry for screwing the scut in the loo of the pub. _

_It took her almost three weeks to come out of the borderline catatonic state she was in, and another few weeks to tell him what happened. At first his mind couldn't comprehend her pain, but then he wanted revenge._

_"So what happened?" Charlie said, taking an almond from the small bowel in the pub. Wolfie looked at him with disgust and Scabior chuckled lightly. _

_"Ya know those are spit backs right?"_

_Charlie stared at them and then back at the bowel. He picked up another almond and placed it in his mouth. "They're still salty." _

_"That's gross." Wolfie added. _

_"Mind your own business." Charlie said throwing his hands in the air. "It's not your mouth." He shoved another almond in his mouth and chewed loudly. _

_"I wouldn' do t'at, mate." Scabior said tapping his fingers on the table. He looked over Scabior's shoulder to see Willy the Wanker ordering his usual fruit cocktail and scanning around the room. He waved at Scabior and his friends, and they gave a half wave back. _

_"Goddamn, it's Willy." Wolfie said repressing a chuckle. Charlie scoffed in disgust and ate another almond. He crossed his arms and chewed furiously_

_"I can' imagine why ya 'ate Willy so much." Scabior said to Charlie. _

_"Maybe the tic has something to do with it." Charlie snapped. "And he touched my hand afterward. I wished you two told me about that!" _

_"It was yer fault, mate." Scabior said. "I told ya he 'ad a tic." _

_"I can handle a tic, but when a guy jacks himself off right in front of you is totally different." _

_"It's a condition." Wolfie laughed. _

_"Condition my ass." _

_"Why did you think we called him Willy the Wanker?" Wolfie laughed. _

_"I thought he was just an arse! I didn't think he would jerk himself off and touch my hand!" _

_"Right, right." Wolfie said. _

_"Alright, lads now it's time to talk business." Scabior said._

_"Right," Wolfie said with a nod. "So what happen?" _

_"Ya know 'ow I was talkin' to ya 'bout why she's been so down lately."_

_"Down is understatement." Wolfie said. "She wouldn't talk to anyone." _

_"Well I found out w'y." Scabior said pausing for a moment to take a shot of firewhiskey and pouring himself another. "I left 'er at the beach. She wasn' in a good mood t'at so I left 'er t'ere-"_

_"You left her?" Wolfie said, leaning into the table. "You left her alone." _

_"She 'ad 'er wand!" Scabior exclaimed. "I t'oug't she'd be alright!" _

_"Apparently not." _

_"Stop makin' this my fault Wolf!" _

_"Lads, can we behave?" Charlie said, taking another spit back almond and crunching loudly on it. _

_"Anyway," Scabior continued, glaring at Wolfie. "She was sittin' on the beach for 'while, just thinkin' I guess and then she went fer a walk and she went to a nearby garden or somethin'. It's in Midian t'ere's gardens ev'ryw'ere in Midian. Ya know 'ow much she loves roses, and she started makin' the flowers move and glow and some muggle boys found 'er—five of 'em. I don' know 'ow, but she lost 'er wand or somethin' like t'at, but apparently they-" He stopped when the mental image hit him and made his stomach turn. "They raped 'er." He said quickly. _

_Wolfie and Charlie stared at each other then looked back at Scabior like he was playing some sort of cruel joke. _

_"Do you know who they are?" Charlie asked. _

_"Only descriptions. Not many muggles live 'round Midian." _

_"I know of one muggle family that lives 'round there." Wolfie said. "Ivory would know." _

_"Well, then ask 'er." _

_"What do ya want to do—with them I mean." Wolfie asked in a low voice. His eyes scanned Charlie, and Scabior. Scabior jaw was stiff and the knife in his boot was digging into the side of his foot._

_"It's simple," he replied. "We kill em all." _

_"How do you want to do that?" Charlie asked. _

_"We'll play it by ear. I don' care 'ow as long as it gets done." _

_"How old are they?" Wolfie asked. _

_"I don' give a shit." _

_"Agreed." Charlie said. "The Ministry could track us if we use magic." _

_"I don' care 'bout the Ministry. I want 'em dead."_

_Wolfie and Charlie nodded their heads in agreement. _

"NO!" Scabior heard a woman scream at the top of her lungs as she saw the snatchers coming closer and closer toward her home. She ran back in the house and slammed the door. Nikki hit Wolfie on the arm and chuckled.

"She's going to try and run."

Wolfie noted.

"Righ', Wolfie and I will take the back." Scabior said. "Nikki, ya take Greyback, Axel and Louie and go 'round the front." he ordered.

Nikki nodded and led the rest of the Snatchers to the front, pushing Greyback to the front of him as if he was a shield of some kind.

As Scabior headed toward the back of the house, he heard a loud shot that sounded like a clap of thunder and something heavy drop. Scabior pointed his wand at the door knob of the gray wood door and it unlocked. Another loud clap of thunder was heard and someone grunted in pain.  
"Shit." He spat, pulling at the door knob. When he crossed the threshold the scene was greeted with was grim. Three children ages around four to eight lay on the blood soaked floor, their clothes and blonde hair red with blood. The youngest girl had a petrified look on her face, while the two older ones looked at peace.

An older gray haired woman, with her wand in hand looked up at him as she touched the children's small faces. A younger woman holding a muggle weapon in her hand and her wand in the other, had her back to him facing the front door. The older woman jumped up and opened her mouth to say a curse, but Scabior beat her to it.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" he said pointing his wand at her. The green stream of light hit her in the chest and threw her back against the wall. She was dead before she hit the ground.

"Mama?" the younger woman said, turning around.

Scabior quickly disarmed both of her weapons and bound her hands and feet with rope.

"Take me too!" she yelled. "Take me too."

Tears fell down from her eyes, as she cried into her shaking chest. He looked around the disorientated living space with disgust written on his pale face. The bodies of two heavy set men were sitting on the couch with a peaceful look about them, but had perfect holes in between their eyes.

"Goddamn suicides." He said, spitting on the hand of dead older woman. "Takes all the fun out of snatching."

Scabior looked eye to eye with Greyback and the rest of his Snatchers, but he didn't see Nikki. By the bound woman's body was Nikki's bleeding body. The blood came from a wound in in his chest, near his heart. Scabior looked down at Nikki, his bloody hands clutching his heart.

"Shit." he said, red spittle flying from his mouth. "H-Help me." He cried, begging Scabior.

"Nothin' I can do for ya kid." Scabior replied casually, twirling his wand in between his fingers.

"B-Bring my body back, to my family please?" he asked.

"That can be arranged." Scabior replied, lighting a cigarette and exhaling through his nostrils. Nikki let out one shaky breath and muttered. "I'm ready." Scabior placed his cigarette to the side of his mouth and pointed his wand at the center of his face. Nikki let out one shaky cough, another bloody glop of spit headed in Scabior's direction this time on the tip of his boot. Scabior grimaced at the blood and said casually.

"_Avada Kedavra_." He said. Nikki's face was stone cold and life less. One lone drop of blood slid from his mouth and down his chin "Pity…"

He looked down at Nikki's clothing, and started rummaging through the pockets of his jacket. He didn't find much except, a half a bag full of green and wrapping papers, a pack of cigarettes, several galleons and a half bottle of fire whiskey.

"I reckon t'is is mine." He said stuffing the green, galleons and whiskey into his pockets. "Wolfie?" he said.

His friend was too busy staring into the bodies of the three dead children who looked no older than his own two kids stared back at him. "Wolfieeeee?" he said in a sing song voice.

Wolfie turned away from the bodies and looked at Scabior. His eyes were heavy and red. Scabior only just noticed the dark circles under his eye. He held up their fallen comrades brand of cigarettes.

"I don' like t'is brand, ya want it?"

Before Wolfie could respond Scabior chucked the cigarettes at him with Wolfie barely catching it. Scabior looked down at the bound woman. She was twisting, turning, crying and begging to be killed. Scabior took out the list and asked her;

"Norris? Verna Norris, the editor of the White Rose pamphlets?"

"Yes-"

"Righ', ya urged other families, mudblood, half blood and even pureblooded alike to rebel against the Dark Lord?"

"Yes-"

"And you're a mudblood ya self righ'?"

"I'm a muggle born."

"I know that. Yer a mudblood."

"Muggle born."

"If ya say yer a mudblood, I'll kill ya."

"I'm a mudblood." She said, almost immediately. Scabior and the rest of the Snatchers laughed, holding their sides and slapping their knees. Wolfie chuckled a little, but not as hard as the others.

"Looks like ya knew we were comin'."

"I said I was a mudblood, now kill me." She begged, making eyes with Greyback. "He looks hungry. Let him have me."

Scabior turned to Greyback and turned back to her. He wiped Nikki's blood on her dress and pressed his boot against her face.

"So ya killed yer kids and everyone around ya."

"So they don't have to face little shits like you!" she exclaimed.

"Ooooooooh." He mocked, clutching his chest like he was offended. "Ouch, as if I never 'eard t'at one before. Behave darlin' and ya won't 'ave to be treated too badly." He leaned on her, his boot putting pressure on her jaw. A couple of tears leaked from her eyes, but she still had the defeated look in her eyes. She wanted death and he wasn't going to let her get off that easily. He was going to take her to the Ministry intact. He turned to his other Snatchers.

"Ya 'ave five minutes. Take wot ya want from 'er 'ouse. But no hand shall touch 'er!" he said emphasizing the last part of his sentence. "Ya 'ear? No 'and shall touch 'er! We're gonna take 'er whole. You lot understand?"

"Yeah…" he heard a chorus of disappointed remarks, but he didn't care.

"But you said-"

"I said wot?" Scabior said, pushing his boot even farther on her cheek.

"You said you would kill me."

"Well, I lied." Scabior said, scratching her name off the list and shoving it back in his jacket pocket.

* * *

Scabior shoved the pub doors open just in time to step out of the way of two men having a drunken fist fighting, Wolfie barely had a chance to dodge out of the way of their fat balled fist colliding with the others head.

"Where's ya girl?" Scabior asked, leaning in with interest. "Ivory wouldn' like ya pickin' up some tom in the pub."

Wolfie squirmed uncomfortably, and Scabior quickly took notice. "Wot?" he asked him.

"Ivory is well aware of the prison clause. She made good use of it." Wolfie said darkly.

"'ow do ya know?" Scabior asked him.

"Just a feeling."

Wolfie marched his way forward through the pub and Scabior grinned, jingling the galleons in his pocket and looked for his catch of the night. The pub smelled itss usual smell, sweat, spilled liquor, and vomit. To the aristocratic wizard it would be nauseating, but to Scabior it smelled good. Wolfie already made his way to the blonde haired, brown eyed woman, leaning on the bar with a glass of mead in her hand. Her eyebrows lifted, and a smile curved on her face.

"Wolife." She purred leaning forward even more, showing off her cleavage. "Welcome back."

Wolfie didn't say much, but ordered a drink and made eyes with the woman. He shuffled through his pockets placing a sickle on the pub counter. A beefy looking man poured him a shot of firewhiskey and he shoved the shot down with a stiff hand. He casually stuffed his hand in his pocket and handed her three galleons.

"Ah, everything?" she asked with a grin.

"Yep." Wolfie said, with a nod.

"Good boy." She said pulling him by the collar of his leather jacket. Scabior shook his head and ordered his jacket. Every girl either looked Frenchified or not his type. He couldn't explain his type, but he could tell by looking at the girls, they were boring. He ordered another shot of fire whiskey and downed the drink.

The power of choice was overwhelming. Before he started working for Liam Cutting, he wasn't used to having money in his pocket. His mum had a little here and there depending on the month, but for the most part he had to work his fingers to the bone to get a bottle of whiskey- when he worked at least. Now he had money, he didn't have to charm them, or buy them a drink. All he had to do was just wave the money in the tom's faces and they would be on him quicker than the blink of an eye.

There was no chase and most importantly the overwhelming feeling of success when he could persuade a woman to come to bed with him.

It was overall boring.

_"So whose gonna pay?" Scabior asked, turning to his older friend Bergin Carrick Cutting, or Cutter as everyone else called him. Cutter was a burly man, close to fifty with gray hair, and tanned skin. He knew that because Cutter's oldest child was only a year older than Scabior. Cutter raised a graying eyebrow and stroked his equally gray beard. _

_"It's yer turn." Cutter said. _

_"Erm-" Scabior said reaching into his pockets and pulled out nothing, but lint. _

_"Uh oh." He said with an innocent smile on his face. "I don' 'ave any money on me." _

_"Son of a bitch. This is fourth fuckin' time you came here without any money." Cutter exclaimed slamming his fist on the pub counter, his wide brown eyes glaring at him. "I ain't payin' fer ya whiskey anymore Scabior. Next time ya come here and play that shit with me, I'm gonna shove my boot up ya ass-" _

_"Yeah, yeah Old Man Cutter!" Scabior said, dismissing him with a wave of his hand. He looked at the tables to the left and right behind him. _

_"I got a plan." He said. "'ere's wot we're gonna do." He whispered into Cutter's ear. The older man looked at him and shook his head. _

_"You've got to be the craziest son of a bitch I ever met." _

_"It's gonna work. Trust me. Just do as I say." Scabior said rubbing his hands together and casually walking over to the right table of wizards drinking their fourth round of brandy. The one girl with her hand clasped in another wizard's had her third glass of wine in her hand at least._

_'Perfect.' Scabior thought. He walked up to them, placing his hands on the table and leaned toward them._

_"Pardon me." Scabior said to them. "Are any of ya muggle borns?" he asked, scanning the table with his eyes. _

_"Most of us are." The woman said with a smile on her face. _

_"Oh good." Scabior sighed. "I 'ate to bug ya, but my girl she's a muggle born and the shit t'ose pricks are sayin' 'bout 'er is 'orrible. Ya know? It's pissin' me off." _

_"Whose saying that?" A dirty blonde haired man said on the end of the table. Scabior pointed to another table of wizards on the opposite end of the room. "They are r'ght over t'ere." _

_Cutter walked up to the table of upper class looking wizards holding onto the finest rum, brandy and mead. Cutter figured they had to have a least a few rounds because they had been laughing loudly about something stupid. Cutter leaned toward them and said in his usual gruff manner. _

_"Excuse me. I hate to be bother to ya, but are ya pure bloods?" _

_"Yes." One of them, a black haired man, said in a matter of fact tone. _

_"Oh thank the Lord. Ya see I have a daughter about her age." He said pointing to a pretty girl auburn haired girl, holding the hand of a snobby looking of a brown haired man. "The thing this mudblood keeps sayin' 'bout yer girl is absolutely disgustin'. He said he never had a pure blood girl and if he wonders if they give- I dare not repeat the rest." Cutter replied. _

_The girl gasped, and placed her hand over her mouth. The boy who Cutter assumed was her boyfriend stood up and said. "Who said it?" _

_"The sloppy son of a bitch with the messy brown hair over there." He said trying to suppress a laugh. _

_Scabior stood by the muggle born table with his hands in his pockets and watched one of them come up to him. Scabior prepared himself as the man squared his shoulders and curled his fist. Scabior balled up his fist and waited for him. The pure blood wizard punched him square in the jaw. Scabior recovered quickly and punched him back and soon his table of muggle borns came to his rescue and started beating down on the pureblood wizard. The pure bloods flew from their table and started punching and fighting the muggleborns. _

_Soon the wands were pulled out and spells went everywhere around the pub. By the time Scabior could work his way through the spells and fist, Cutter had already finished his drink not minding the spells flying past his head. _

_"There ya go." _

_"You're too slick fer yer own good. Boy, how old are ya and yer starting race wars?" Cutter laughed flashing yellow teeth. _

_"I'll make 'istory Cutter, just you wait. We're gonna sit back 'nd laugh' bout this." Scabior said. _

"Ya want some company?" a tom said touching his shoulder, interrupting Scabior's thought. He smirked and held out four galleons to her, like a dog wanting a bone, she slobbered over the money greedily.

"Sure." He said, watching her eyes follow the galleons.


	4. There's More to the Picture

He wasn't sure how long it had been since he smelled the aroma of vanilla. It had been months perhaps, but whenever he would take the scarf and place it to his nose, it felt like the first time every sunrise and sunset. He memorized every aspect of the scarf from the color, to the patterns, and so on. He imagined what on Earth she was doing wearing something like this, but he rarely questioned her fashion faux pas and she ignored his. In the very few boring moments of snatching he had time to think and write. Although those moments were few and far between, he enjoyed the private moment to himself. Sometimes he'd just write words in a circle or a particular pattern that happened to be stuck in his head. Once he sketched the whip marks on the back of the mudblood he had "punished" a day or so ago, but deep in the gashes he wrote the word 'martyr'. He wasn't sure nor did he care how the mudblood was feeling, but he was generally relaxed after the punishment. Nothing could beat taking out ones aggression on the insignificant person of society.

When he finished the sketch of the mudblood, he began sketching the naked of body of his old girl, or at least how he remembered it. There had been so many naked female bodies he's seen in his however many months of snatching and even in his lifetime. He did remember the birthmark on her bum that resembled a spider—- or that was the tom at the pub? He was almost sure she had a small mole above her nipple on her right tit, but then again it could've been Ivory's tit he was imaging. After a while he gave up and starting writing whatever came to his mind. Usually just random words and phrases.

_"Daft roundabout."_

_"Fiddlin' bens." _

_"Prancer-" _

He was half way into writing his thoughts when he felt a burning sensation that resembled someone sticking hot pins into his side. He sighed, and placed the notebook back in his leather jacket.

"Goddamn taboo." He cursed under his breath.

He got up too quickly and he felt another sharp pain in the side where Marcy-Marion-Mary-Maria-whatever her name was, hit him months ago. He should've gone to a healer, but he hated them. He hated their probing cold hands and annoying questions. Plus the smell potions and cleaning liquids at St. Mungos made him gag and feel lightheaded. He had to play through the pain and it only hurt when he lay on his side too long, got up too quickly or after he ran a long distance. It could be painful, but he didn't care. He didn't like healers.

_'That's a wound.' He heard Liam Cutting's voice say. The loud sound his glop of spit made as it hit the floor rang through the empty room. Liam leaned close to him, his breath smelling of whiskey and chewing tobacco. 'A little pain, let 'em think it over.'_

Wolfie and the others were already alert and all of them quickly apparated to the sight of the taboo. The minute he arrived in the wooded area, he smelled the scent of vanilla. He couldn't repress the large grin on his face just as much as he couldn't stop his heart was thumping and his stomach from doing cartwheels. This was it. He finally found her.

What did she look like? What would she say? Would she mind the werewolf? That was a silly question, of course she would, but more importantly would she mind that he smelled like Greyback? Would she slap the shit out of him for being gone for so long? Or give him a hug at least? What if Colt was with her? Would he know who he is? How was he? He had to be at least four, perhaps five- then again he could be six.

He swallowed his nerves, leaned against a nearby tree, and searched for her. He didn't have to wait long until he spotted a girl with two boys, one with red hair and the other with darker hair. She was about her height, and just as skinny with smooth brown hair—- she didn't have brown hair in fact she hated bruntette color hair on her. She thought the color made her face look fat. The one time she tried to dye her hair blonde and it turned out to be a light brown just like the girl he was watching. He couldn't help, but to agree it looked terrible on her.

_"It doesn' look too bad." He lied. _

_"Bullshit." She snapped, turning her head fiercely. Her now light brown strands flew through the air, sending left over water on the tips into his eye. He wiped the excess water from his face and looked down at Colt. The baby cooed and laughed on the pillow of his play pen, his tiny fist to his mouth and his feet kicking wildly as Scabior used his wand to make his stuffed animals dance over the top of his head. He reached out to them as if they would come into his hand and tried to tell Scabior in his own language to let them down. _

_"Yea'," Scabior said letting the duck fall gracefully on into Colt's grip. "Yea' bullshit." _

His stomach sunk, but he shoved his emotions aside, waiting for the girl to see him. When she turned around he saw her terrified eyes looking into his and he took comfort in that she was attractive, but gave off the defiant and strong attitude he liked. Her eyes darted to the pink scarf around his neck and back in his eyes. He grinned at her and began running his fingers and up and down the fabric of the scarf sensually.

"Hello beautiful." He purred.

She gasped and quickly turned around to run. He let her and her friends get a three second head start. He sighed. What made them think they could run?

"Well, don't hang about." He said to the Snatchers behind him. "Snatch 'em."

He braced himself for the pain in his side as he started running after them, Wolfie, Greyback and the others behind him. The pain was beginning to hurt more and more, but he ignored it and pushed himself harder. To his relief it wasn't long until the ginger tripped and fell flat on his face. One down, two to go. He ran through the woods dodging trees and a nasty '_expluso'_ spell to get the girl, but after the other Snatchers surrounded the two of them they had no other option, but to surrender. When the girl came into view, the dark haired boy was on the ground his face swollen and deformed like a abstract painting.

Wolfie grabbed the girl and the ginger immediately started to make a run to protect her.

"Don't touch her!" he yelled. Greyback punched the ginger in the stomach, sending him forward in pain.

"Leave him alone!" she screamed at the werewolf.

A fighter that was for sure and most surely defiant. Scabior liked a challenge.

"Yer boyfriend will get much more than t'at. If he doesn' learn to be'ave 'imself." Scabior said as he walked toward the scene in a sashay. He looked at the dark haired boy. "Wot 'appened to you, ugly?" he asked him. Greyback and the dark haired boy both turned to looked at him with the same look of confusion on their faces.

"No, not you." Scabior said to Greyback. He turned back to the dark haired boy and looked him up and down once more. "Wot's yer name?" he asked him.

"Dudley. Vernon Dudley." He answered.

_'Bullshit.' _Scabior thought.

"Check 'em." He said. The other Snatchers checked the list, as he made his rounds around the other their victims, walking toward the ginger. "And you ginger?"

"Stan Shunpike." He answered.

_'Double bullshit.'_

"The 'ell ya are." Scabior snapped leaning toward the ginger, his face only a few inches from his. "We know skinny Stan. Try again." Scabior raised his eyebrows, eager to see what the ginger could come up with next. The ginger looked up at the snatcher holding him and swallowed hard.

"Weasley, Barney Weasley." He answered.

Scabior's mouth formed into a half smile. He remembered seeing Arthur Weasley a few times when he cleaned the hallways at the Ministry. They only spoke once and he was particularly interested in the muggle side of his mothers family. He never really knew them, and even if he did he wouldn't want to, they were filthy muggles after all and he hated Arthur's tedious questions even more than he hated his muggle loving behavior. Why should he even care what ping pong table is used for?

"Weasley, eh?" he said. "Wouldn't be related to that blood traitor Arthur Weasley, would you?"

'Barney's' face twisted into a snarl. "Piss off!" he exclaimed, spittle flying from his mouth. "Arthur Weasley is ten times the wizard you will ever be!"

"Temper, temper." Scabior said, shaking his head. "He's worth ten times you are if I can find him. Wasn't you that tipped him off was it?"

'Barney' remained mute for a bit, till Scabior nodded to the other snatchers to check him as well. He turned around to the only girl of the trio. He whistled at her and used the tip of his wand to slick back his wild strands. He strutted toward her and leaned to her, their faces barely a inch apart.

"'ow 'bout you lovely?" he said softly. "What do they call you?"

She tried to keep a brave face, but he could see through the mask. She was vulnerable under her exterior. She tried to take a step away from him, but he took another step forward.

"Penelope." She said. "Penelope Clearwater. Half-blood."

_'I'm guessin' bullshit too.'_

He reached out his hand to her and just as he did, her left eye twitched and tightened her jaw as she tried to keep in control. She was winning for the most part, but every brick wall had a weakness. It was just a matter of finding it. He ran his dirty finger down the nape of her smooth neck and took a few strands of hair in between his fingers. He brought the strands of hair to his nose and sniffed it. It was just like hers. It smelled the same, felt the same.

"You smell like vanilla, Penelope." He said, running his fingers up and down her cheek, thinking of all the fun he could have with her. "I think yer gonna to be my favorite."

Her breathing intensified, and he could feel his pants becoming tighter the more he inhaled her wonderful scent. It was like a drug to him and the more he took in the more he wanted it. He forced her head up to look into his. The same dark colored eyes. She was scared—- and she should be.

"There's no Vernon Dudley on here." He heard Wolfie say.

"Son of a bitch." He exhaled, and turning around slowly, biting his lip as he turned. "Come again Wolf?" he asked.

"There's no Vernon Dudley on here." He repeated.

"Hm." He said, reaching in his pocket for his cigarettes, pulling out a single one and lighting it. "Then I guess ya can-"

"Boss?" Wolfie said again. "You might want to check this out."

Scabior exhaled smoke and walked toward Wolfie as he held 'Vernon's' head up. "e's ugly, so?" Scabior said.

"No, look." Wolfie said, pointing to the end of a scar pushed under 'Vernon's' swollen skin. Scabior used his wand to remove the strands of hair from his forehead. His jaw dropped when he saw the imprint of a lightening bolt shaped scar in his sweating skin. It was him! This was the bounty that every Snatcher dreamed of having put under their name. This was the Undesirable Number One, Harry Potter. He could practically feel the galleons in his fingers if he turned him in alive.

"Change of plans." He managed to utter through the golden coined dream, dancing before his eyes. "We're not takin' this lot to the Ministry." He turned to Wolfie and grinned. "Good job, mate."

Wolfie smiled brightly, his eyes had a certain twinkle to it. "Thank you, Scabior."

"Where are we taking them, then?" Greyback asked.

Scabior rolled his eyes. "To the moon, Doggie!" he exclaimed at him. "Where do you think, Headquarters of course. Malfoy Manor."

He'd been to Malfoy Manor, but not on his own free will. His Baby Doll used to sew dresses and sell them to the aristocratic pureblood witches. She used to make pretty good business, but her popularity sky rocketed when the elegant royal blue dresses his girl had made caught the eye of a rich and powerful woman. Her name was Narcissa Malfoy.

_"Does it come with a hat?" he heard Mrs. Malfoy say as her dress was being fitted from the other room. Scabior walked aimlessly around the Manor, desperately looking for something to occupy his mind._

_"I can make a hat if you wish." He heard her say._

_"That would be lovely. Make sure it's a pillbox hat with a veil. I already have enough sunhats."_

_"Yes ma'am."_

_Scabior snorted and walked around the Manor till he discovered a room with a piano by the window. Scabior checked up and down the hallway to make sure no one was around to see. When he was sure the coast was clear, he quickly went to the instrument and stood over it. He admired it's radiant beauty though it was kept out of sight in the darkness of the room. He ran his hands up and down the keys, and took a seat on the bench. He sighed slowly out from his nostrils, daring himself to push down one single note. _

_His mother used to practice her singing, with a tall man with brown hair and luxurious robes. He played the piano to accompany her voice. He remembered as a child sitting by the piano with his ear pressed to the side of the instrument and swaying to the music, memorizing every note he could fit into his brain. His mum hadn't sang in so long and he knew it made her happy, she would only hum and occasionally sing a few lines of a song if she was knitting or scrubbing the dishes, but not the way she used to. He missed the way she used to sing._

_He pictured the desired song in his head and how it would sound. He rang his fingers up and down the keys and started playing. The notes seemed to ring off of the piano naturally. He hadn't practiced the song and took a lesson or two from the man, but he always pictured the music, saw it in his head and had to play it._

_He watched his fingers circle around the keys as he continued with the song, not minding any of his surroundings. He rarely had a chance to play any instrument, but when he did, he felt a wave of relaxation overtake his body, the same feeling of a drunken night, or a wonderful romp in the hay with a beautiful woman. __He hummed along to the song. He had decided to transition to another melody he had heard from one of Rooster's old albums. He barely remembered the words, but he could remember the general scope of the harmony. It started off in a slow melody, then suddenly the song became faster and he began to feel the song over take his being. __He closed his eyes swinging up and down the piano, letting his fingers wander and glide down the keys. It was as if the weight of his worries; his mother's pestering, the expenses, his lack of a real job, the badgering from his old lady it all had disappeared. He let the music simply overtake him._

_He was sure he got his musical abilities from his mum. She had been an opera singer for years ever since she was a teenager. She was one of France's most regarded singers. She rubbed elbows with all sorts of characters, a lot of them from aristocratic pureblood ancestry. Most of them didn't know or care about her blood status. They knew of her as the 'Parisian Jewel'. Even to that day if she happened to be out of the house a lot of women would ask for her autograph, men would buy her drinks and once she got her photo taken for 'The Daily Prophet'. He wondered about his father. He must've enjoyed music if he with his mum._

_"SCABIOR!" he heard someone say. He immediately stopped playing and turned his head toward the door. The Malfoy's; Lucius and Narcissa were staring daggers at him and between them was his girl, position her sewing bag back on her shoulder and shoving her now violet strands behind her ear._

_"Yes Baby Doll?" he said._

_"What the hell are you doing?" she said through gritted teeth. She turned around to the Malfoy's and apologized nervously. "Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy." She said forcing a smile. "He doesn't normally do this."_

_"What are you doing here?" Lucius asked Scabior. "Hasn't your mother taught you any manners? That perhaps it's not polite to touch other people's things?"_

_"Yes, but it didn' take, sir." Scabior said, mocking a bow toward the Malfoys. "Lovely to see ya again, Lucius. I really do miss workin' wit'__ ya."_

_Lucius glared, then his gaze turned to his Baby Doll. "Ms. Salvatore, you didn't tell me that… thing… was your significant other."_

_She chuckled awkwardly. "I didn't know you two knew each other, none the less worked together."_

_"We didn't work together." Lucius said, cutting his eye at Scabior. "He cleaned the Ministry, I had the misfortune to pass by-"_

_"Wasn't my fault ya got ash on yer robes!"_

_"Shut up!" she snapped at Scabior._

_"Don' tell me to shut up!" he said back at her. "I was smokin' and he walked by, got ash on 'is robes! Wasn't my fault, 'e gave me lip 'bout it so I gave 'im lip back. Then I got fired-"_

_"Fired?" she said. "When were you going to tell me you got fired?"_

_"I don't know." His girl threw her fist at his chest and he immediately pulled back just in time._

_"Why were you touching our things?" Narcissa interjected at Scabior._

_"It looked nice." Scabior answered. "The piano was just sittin' t'ere someone 'ad to play it-"_

_"He probably stole something." She muttered to Lucius._

_"I did not!" Scabior said. "I wouldn' steal anything from ya! I 'ever struck a foul blow, nor turned a card-" He knew he was lying. He's stolen plenty of things in his past, but there was a time and a place for everything. He wouldn't put Baby Doll's job in jeporady for a fancy jewel or a dish of fine china._

_"Oh please, save your lies for someone who cares." Narcissa said, taking a step closer to Scabior, but still keeping her distance. "Your kind is bound to steal anything of value-"_

_"I already told ya," Scabior said, tempted to take out his wand and hex her. His temper was rising and wrapping his hands around her throat till her neck popped off seemed to be the only way to calm his fury. "I didn' steal nothin'! I 'ave nothin' to gain from t'at-"_

_"We never should have let trashy thieves in our house Lucius-"_

_"Listen ya crow-faced bi-" Scabior said charging at her. His Baby Doll held her hands out in front of him trying her best to push him back. Lucius had his wand removed from his walking stick. The older man stood in front of his wife and pointed it at Scabior._

_"How dare you speak of my wife in such a manner!" Lucius said. "Leave, leave now and you'll go home in one piece."_

_"Scabior…" Baby Doll said, placing two hands on his chest, her lips to his ear. "Please."_

_"I'm no thief I wouldn' do t'at to ya. It's yer job. Those goddamn harpies-" Scabior said to her._

_"I know, but please." She said. Scabior looked at her, then back at the Malfoy's, he took a step away from her and apparated outside into the hallway, making his way out of the Manor. He heard Narcissa say loudly enough to Lucius as he left;_

_"It's a shame Ms. Salvatore that you're with him. You're not like him at all. A classy lady such as yourself shouldn't mingle with trash."_

_Scabior would've pulled out his wand and gave her something to remember him by, but the snobby money-bags was their bread and butter. He only hoped it didn't cost her, her job. She'd rip him a new one either way and especially for getting fired. She would always yell and scream when he was out of a job, or if he'd done something wrong. After he was fired he spent most of his work days at the pub, waiting for Cutter and Wolfie to get off of work. Wolfie was no fun anymore because his wife Ivory wanted him to get home early to play with his kid and she didn't want Wolf coming home smelling of liquor. Scabior hated his friend's ball and chain, he never wanted children. They ruined everything._

_He walked outside the Manor to look up at the iron gate and up into the dark sky. He placed a cigarette to his lips and lit it._

"Boss?" Wolfie said, dragging 'Vernon Dudley'/Harry Potter by the sleeve. "Where are they?"

"They're comin'." He said exhaling smoke into 'Penelope's' direction to get her attention. She looked up at him briefly and watched him wink at her. She stared at him blankly and returned to staring straight ahead. After a minute or two of silence a woman came to the iron gate. She placed her face so close to the gate, Scabior could see nothing, but one of her dark eyes. Scabior's attention drifted when he saw the albino peacocks waddling around. He darted toward them and knelt before them, whistling and cooing to get their attention.

"You!" he heard the woman snap after a second or two. "What you want?"

Scabior turned around and noticed the woman again. He flicked his cigarette into the yard and walked back up to the gate. From the moonlight he could see she had long black hair and a scowl on her gaunt face. She would've been pretty if, she didn't look ragged and deranged.

"We got somethin' ya might want to know." Scabior said leaning against the gate, so their faces were almost touching.

"Oh?" she said. "Let me guess, you got some Auror? This better be good Snatcher-"

Scabior grabbed 'Vernon'/Potter by the hair and pulled his hair up so she could see the scar. Her dark eyes widened and her tongue glided across her thin lips.

"Get Draco." She said to no one in particular, turning around on her heel and walking back toward the Manor.

The iron gate opened and Scabior nodded to the other Snatchers and they followed her inside the Manor. Wolfie walking beside him, gripped onto a bright silver sword and held it tightly to his chest as they entered the Manor.

"Wot's t'at?" Scabior asked.

"I found it."

"Oh." Scabior said, reminding himself to take the sword from Wolfie after they collected the money. The Manor seemed to be dark and lifeless from the last time he'd seen it. The minute they entered the spacious room everything was bleak and eerie. He glanced at the once high and mighty Mrs. Malfoy. Her eyes were cast down, with dark circles under her teary eyes. She looked twice as old from their last encounter. Her golden hair was pulled up into a disarray bun and had small wisps of gray in the temples.

He only saw Draco once when he was a little boy, and now he was a grown man practically. His silvery hair was neat and his clothes were tidy, but he had the look of a pale and scared puppy on his thin face. He huddled close in between his parents and tried his best not to look at him. Finally there was Lucius. His hair was frizzy and greasy like he hadn't cleaned it in days. His also had dark circles under his red rimmed eyes and his skin was even paler than usual. He had a glass of wine in one of his hand and he walked with a slight stagger. He was getting drunk, but Scabior couldn't blame him though.

Lucius's eyes were cast down to the floorboards until he looked up and their eyes met. Scabior didn't back down and neither did the older man. They seemed to be trying to stare the other down in an optical Mexican showdown, neither man willing to back down or say a harsh word to the other. Scabior, his eyes never leaving Lucius's, bent over into a slight bow, and Lucius exchanged it with a nod.

"You remember me, don't you?" _Scabior asked to the man, muttering in the prison cell next to his._

_Their only way of communication was a small hole in the aging wall that kept them isolated. At first the muttering stopped for only a minute or two and then started up again, and what bothered Scabior the most was the bastard didn't answer his question. Scabior felt drained and lifeless. He curled up on the damp floor, and looked up at the bars in his cell. The moonlight shinning in his eyes mocked him. He wanted to be out in the moonlight, and live._

_Actually live._

_He didn't know how long he'd been in his cell. It could've been weeks, months or even fifty years as far as Scabior knew, time wasn't the importance. In fact the more he spent in Azkaban the less he cared about time. It was as if his life stood still, while the Earth traveled on it's axis. He dragged his long nails through his hair and tried to drown out the muttering, but he couldn't hear his own thoughts in his head._

_"Oh, stop the mutterin' and talk to me!" Scabior told to the mutterer._

_"Mind your own business." The mutterer snapped at him, but in a more fearful tone rather than forceful. Scabior grinned and took advantage of this moment. He slid toward the hole, pressing his mouth into and said in a soft tone._

_"Yer Lucius Malfoy aren't ya?" he asked._

_The person hesitated and said in a shaken voice. "Yes, yes I am."_

_"Aha!" Scabior said, doing his best to form an ironic laugh, through the weight of despair trapped inside his head. "Finally got caught, eh. Yer one of us now."_

_He didn't respond._

_"Welcome to our family. 'ow's the wife?" he waited for a response, when he didn't hear anything he knocked on the wall using the strength he could muster. "Ya there? 'ow is the wife?"_

_"Fine." He said._

_"And the kid?"_

_"Fine."_

_"Good." Scabior said. He enjoyed the company He spent however long in a damp cell alone with very little company. "We miss ya. Mrs. Malfoy liked my wife a lot."_

_"She did a good job, I suppose." Lucius replied._

_"T'at she did." Scabior said, leaning his back against the damp wall. He felt his hair dampen to his roots, but he was used to it. "Why are ya 'ere?"_

_"Department of Mysteries, they caught us."_

_"T'at's a shame."_

_"What about you?"_

_"It's all bullshit, but apparently I killed an auror."_

_"Oh."_

_"Yes…" Scabior said, growing angry and depressed in the same breathe. His bottled emotions was getting the best of him, but he couldn't help it. There was nothing in his cell to distract him from the disconnect with the outside world. He desperately tried to think of something happy. He had to keep his mind away from the mental images of his Baby Doll taking advantage of the prison clause and worst of all knowing Charlie was somewhere out there, having the time of his life. _

_'Think of words that start with M.' he thought to himself._

_Merry._

_Marvelous._

_Malicious._

_Murder._

_Mutilate- Don't think about that'._

_"I figured your crime would be something different." Lucius added._

_"Oh?" Scabior said, raising an eyebrow. A dementor glided past his cell and his cell became colder than before. He curled up closer on the damp ground and shivered. When the chill had passed he looked back into the hole. "Wot did ya think I was in for?"_

_"Well, your kind tends to be very low with their crimes. What do you call them? Fiddling bens, I believe."_

_To hear the term come from the mouth of an aristocratic harpy would be hilarious to Scabior if he heard him say it under different circumestances. He pronounced every syllable and he wasn't sure if Malfoy knew what it meant, or if it was a sad attempt to relate to the younger man. Scabior let loose a dry chuckle._

_"Fiddlin' bens, ya mean."_

_"That's what I said."_

_"Ya don' 'ave to pronounce the g."_

_"Whatever."_

_"And I'm not a fiddlin' ben, thank ya very much." Scabior said slightly taking offense. "Not all of us would sell off the parts of a dead wizard fer a galleon."_

_"I find that hard to believe."_

_"I wouldn' do it fer one galleon." _

_"You've only proven my point."_

_"Keep talking, Lucius." He said in a warning tone. "Yer diggin' yerself into a deeper grave, mate."_

_"Right."_

_"Ya can't let go of t'at stuck arse view, can ya?" he asked, waiting for Malfoy to respond and to his surprise he didn't. "Give me a few years. Then me and my girl we'll be attendin' the same socials as you and yers. Wait till I get out."_

_Lucius didn't respond, and Scabior didn't blame him. It was more talking he had done for however long and he felt tired. He wanted to sleep, while looking at the moonlight and remembering old days, but all he could do was relive that awful moment, one that he enjoyed and hated at the same time. He wanted it out of his head, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't, ignore it. Then he fell into despair._

"Is it 'im?" Scabior asked, snapping from his trance, but his eyes never leaving the older mans.

"Draco!" the dark haired woman snapped. The youngest Malfoy looked up from the trio and toward the direction of the darker woman, but avoided her gaze meeting his. The darker haired woman curled her finger to Draco motioning him closer. "Come here to Auntie Bella puppet." She said in a high pitched tone. "Come here to Bellatrix."

Draco dragged his feet toward her. Bellatrix held the "could be" Potter boy's head up to look at him to look at Draco's.

"Is it him?" Bellatrix said with a smile on her face. "Is it Potter?"

"Erm…" the boy hesitated, looking at his Father, then back at the disfigured boy. "I can't be sure."

"Draco," Lucius took a step closer to him and wrapped a hand around the back of his neck. "Look closely son." He looked back at Scabior, then turned to his son and muttered barely audible to anyone. "If we are the ones to hand Potter over to the Dark Lord,"

Scabior shoved 'Penelope' over to Greyback and walked closer toward the two blonde men. Scabior didn't like the sound of Malfoy plotting to take away _his_ money. The money he had earned by sweating his arse off and what did Malfoy do besides drink? Nothing. He didn't earn that reward, it was Scabior's money, his glory not theirs. He knew their works. The Malfoy's were desperate to be on top once more. Rumor was that Lucius's wand was taken from him and he gave it up so willingly like a pussy, so if it came to blows it would be easy for him.

"All we'll be forgiven." Lucius continued. "All will be as it was, you understand?" He gave his son a desperate look, and Draco nodded his head. Scabior knew he would react the same way if it had been his family at risk, but it wasn't his problem.

"Now we wouldn' be forgettin' who actually caught him… I 'ope Mr. Malfoy." Scabior drawled.

"You dare speak to me that way in my own house!" Lucius exclaimed, but not daring to look Scabior in the eye. Narcissa touched his arm and led him away from their son. The older Malfoy took a rather large gulp from his glass and threw it across the room, hitting the wall and falling in shards.

He remembered not too long ago hearing Lucius poke fun at their social status, but now they were on a similar level. All the jokes of him commenting on how clean she was and how he wasn't, and Narcissa asking how many kids did they have and if his Baby Doll knew the father came back to him. He had longed to see them on a similar level as he was, but it left a bitter sweet taste in his mouth. He should've been boasting in their faces and kicking them harder now that they were down, but there was something about them that made him pity them slightly. It was pathetic.

Bellatrix touched Draco on the wrist and pulled him closer to 'Vernon'/Potter.

"Come here darling." She said her voice turning into an exagerated soft tone. "That's why we have to be sure. If we call him and he's not who he says he is, he'll kill us all, we have to be absolutely sure."

The boy kneeled in front of Potter, stared at him longer and said; "What's wrong with his face?"

"Yes," Bellatrix agreed, turning to Scabior. "What is wrong with his face?"

"He came to us like t'at. Somethin' he picked up in the forest I reckon." Scabior answered, growing impatient with Draco.

Bellatrix swayed around the room, looking at the Snatchers when she noticed something in Wolfie's hands. Her dark eyes widened dangerously and her fist curled around her wand.

"Where did you get that?" she asked in a low voice. Scabior could feel his stomach tightening.

"I found it, reckon it's mine now." Wolfie said in a proud tone. Suddenly the woman's hand snapped back and Wolfie's flew behind the stairs, catching the sword in her grip, she threw another stunning spell at the other snatchers and tossed a serpent around Greyback's neck.

"Are you mad-" Scabior exclaimed, taking out his wand, before a whip was cracked around his neck, choking the life out of him.

She pulled and twist on the whip till he landed flat on his hurt side. He was gasping for air and fighting the agonizing pain of his ribs. Tears were streaming down his eyes as he gave his best effort not to cry out in agony until finally she let go.

"GET OUT! OUT!" she screamed at them. As he stood up, gasping for breath, he held his side crippled with the agonizing pain.

"Crazy bitch." he muttered louder than he expected. Before he could react he felt something hit him in the back and send him flying across the room, landing flat on wood floor. He knew he was going to die, he might as well been already dead, he couldn't breathe, all he felt was pain.

_Scabior placed the two sickles on the pub table. "One shot of firewhiskey, Patty." He declared. Patty, a large Irishman with red hair marked by a few wisps of gray and serious brown eyes stared at the sickles. _

_"Stealin' money from yer dear ol' ma eh boyo?" he asked. _

_"No, just Rooster." He replied. _

_"I betcha ain't even legal yet. Yah, been foolin' other pubs 'round town I 'eard. Ya made 'em think ya were seventeen." _

_"I ain't foolin' ya Patty. I love ya. Now give me a firewhiskey." _

_Patty reluctantly fixed him a firewhiskey and slammed the shot glass on the table, and snatched the two sickles to add to coins kept in an old pickle jar, next to the various butterbeer, mead and firewhiskey bottles. _

_"To 'ealth!" Scabior replied downing the shot in one swift gulp and slamming the glass back down. "'nother, Patty." He said. After waiting several seconds he held the shot glass up to Patty's attention from him wiping the inside of the butterbeer mugs. _

_"I see ya!" Patty snapped. "Keep yer shirt on!" _

_Scabior placed the shot glass back on the table and looked around the pub as he waited. In the corner of the room he saw a black haired girl with olive skin sitting in her chair, staring out the window and holding a small black dog in her arms. Every minute or so she'd turn away from the window, break off a piece of a muffin she had on the table in front of her and feed it to the little dog. She'd rub its head afterward as it ate. She looked up and noticed him staring at her, but he didn't turn away. When he grinned at her, she turned her head away quickly, and stared back out the window. _

_"Oi, Patty." he said in a low voice. _

_"I said I was gettin' yer shot." He replied. _

_"I'm no' talkin' 'bout t'at. Whose she?" _

_"Who?" _

_"T'at raven 'aired broad in the corner, wit' the dog. She's a prime lookin' star gazer, fer sure." _

_"Oh." Patty replied, looking in her direction, then turning back to wiping out the butterbeer mugs. "I dunno. She comes in 'ere every damn mornin' till dusk and sit there with tha' damned dog. I dunno who she is or what 'er name is. All I know is she likes blueberry muffins." _

_"Blueberry muffins eh?" he repeated. "Make the shot fer two, and add a blueberry muffin." _

_"Wit' wot money boyo?" he asked. _

_"Put it on Rooster's tab. He won' mind." _

_"I'm tellin' him ya know?" _

_"Tell all ya want Patty." He said. The old Irishman grumbled as he fixed two shots and placed a blueberry muffin next to them. Scabior carefully carried the shots over to the table she was sitting in. She held the dog in her arms like a baby as she fed it another piece of muffin and rubbed its tummy. _

_"Ello t'ere." He said inviting himself to the seat across from her. _

_"Hello." She said in a small voice then turning back to the dog, hoping he'd go away. When he didn't she turned back to Scabior. "Can I help you?" she asked with a dark thin eyebrow raised. _

_The closer looked at her he could tell she wasn't wearing a hint of make-up, except for pink lip gloss on her full lips. She was generally plain, and she didn't wear anything revealing. Just a black sweater, dark red pants, and black boots._

_"Does the dog wan' 'nother muffin?" he asked, holding the muffin out to her. She looked at the muffin and back at Scabior. _

_"If you want to get laid you're barking up the wrong tree. I don't deal with knicker-slickers " _

_Scabior frowned in disappointment, and pouted out his lips. He wouldn't mind a run in the hay with the girl, but it wasn't all he was looking for, however he loved a challenge. _

_"I'm not lookin' for a lay tonight, darlin'." He replied. "I just wan'ed to offer ya some company. Ya look lonesome, beautiful." He said. _

_"Oh." She said, looking at the muffin, her mouth twisting and her eyebrow rose slightly. She slowly took the muffin from his grip and before she offered it to the hungry dog she broke off a piece and ate a small piece of it. When she was sure it was alright she gave some to the dog. "Thank you." She replied with a nod. _

_"Yer welcome." He leaned back in his chair when a sudden whiff of an aroma of vanilla that overpowered the smell of old vomit and butterbeer. "Vanilla?" he said. _

_"It's my perfume." The girl said. _

_"I like it." He said inhaling the scent once more. He looked at the dog that stared at it as she rubbed his belly. "Wot's the pup's name?" _

_"Little Baby." she replied. _

_"Little Baby?" he asked. "How about we name 'im L.B fer short?" _

_"Well she seems to like Little Baby. It was the only name she responded to." _

_"How did ya find her?" he asked. _

_"She found me. We've been together for about two years now I suppose." _

_"Ah," he said. "I only 'ad one dog in me life." _

_"Really?" she asked. "What was his name?" _

_" 'er name was Izzy." _

_"What happened to her?" _

_"She's me older sister dog. She's been dead fer a while. Izzy I mean, my sister is still 'round. Me mum likes cats. I 'ate cats. Izzy was a good girl t'ough."_

_"I don't mind cats as long as they're nice." _

_"Well, all 'er cats were bitchy. They used to scratch me and bite me, then they 'iss at me too. Not Izzy." _

_"Maybe you have the wrong approach." _

_"Or maybe they're just bitchy."_

_"Perhaps. Well, Little Baby isn't bitchy at all. She's a little angel."_

_"Yea' she looks it." _

_The girl chuckled and kissed the dog's head, and turned to him again. "I'm sorry, but I didn't quite catch your name." _

_"Scabior, the last name isn't important." He said extending his hand. The girl took his hand and gave it a good shake. She broke off another piece of muffin and fed it to Little Baby and said; _

_"My name is Anya Salvatore—- well, it's actually Delia Anya Salvatore. Delia is my given name, but I prefer to be called Anya." _

_"Why? I like Delia." _

_"I don't. It sounds odd. I used to get made fun of for my name. They would sing that damn American song to me." _

_"'ow does it go?" _

_"You've never heard of it?" she asked. She cleared her throat and started singing. "Delia, oh, Delia, Delia all my life. If I hadn't shot poor Delia, I'd have her for my wife. Delia's gone, one more round, Delia's gone." She finished and held her hand out, hoping he'd figure it out. _

_"Sounds like somethin' Rooster would sing to 'imself." Scabior snorted._

_"Rooster?" _

_"Oh, t'at's my step dad." _

_"You have a step dad?" she asked, leaning in interest. _

_"Yeah," Scabior said, rolling his eyes at the thought of the grumpy old man his mother married. "But I'll call ya wotever ya want, luv." _

_"Anya, please." She said. _

_"Right." Scabior said. "It's a nice name anyway." _

_"I hope so. I don't know what it is. I just prefer it over my first name." _

_"Ya sound like someone I know." _

_"Who would that be?" _

_"Oh, just a friend at 'ogwarts, she 'ated 'er first name so I just called 'er Dora or Tonks." _

_"What was her first name?" she asked. _

_"Nymphadora." He said, repressing a laugh. Anya grinned and started laughing into her hand politely. "Yea' I know, weird. Did ya go to 'ogwarts too?" _

_"Yes. I was a Ravenclaw." _

_"Oh, I don't remember ya." _

_"Same to you." Anya said in a spiteful tone, rubbing Little Baby's belly. "What were you?" _

_"Slytherin." _

_"Yeah I wouldn't remember you at all." _

_"T'at's fine. We know each other now." _

_"So, what kind of name is that?" she asked cocking her head to the side. _

_"Wot name?" _

_"Your name." _

_"The name mah dear ol' mum gave me." He said, shaking his head. "It means… Apollo in French." He lied. _

_"The son of Zeus and Leto, correct?" she asked with a skeptical look on her face. She grinned and stroked Little Baby's belly. _

_"Someone has been learning their 'istory." _

_"I read all sorts of history, muggle and wizarding. You seem to know to know a bit too." _

_"My mum's old man is a muggle born." _

_"Which one?" she asked with a twinkle in her eyes that seemed odd to Scabior. _

_"My step dad, remember? My Father died w'en I was a kid." _

_"Well, at least you have a father figure. Do you remember what your real father looked like?" she asked, fixing her attention on him. _

_Scabior pushed his tangled hair off of his neck and thought for a moment or two. "In a way. I know 'e 'ad the same 'air as I did. But I don't remember much 'bout 'im."_

_"Oh," she said, holding Little Baby closer. She looked down at the two drinks and pointed to them. "Is that firewhiskey?" she asked. _

_Scabior almost forgot about the shots and pushed one shot to her. He smiled at her and said; "T'at one is for you."_

_"I'm not much of a drinker." She said. _

_"That'll change w'en yer wit' me, baby doll." _

_Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink and she took the drink in one hand and tossed it back just as quickly as he did. They both slammed the glass on the table in unison. _

_"I think yer lyin'." Scabior said in a chuckle. "Ya tossed a t'at back pretty quickly from the looks of it." _

_"Someone told me a long time ago that's how you're supposed to drink." _

_"Who was that?" he asked. _

_"I-" she hesitated, then turned to Little Baby and fed her another piece of muffin. "I don't remember." She said quietly. Little Baby huffed and shook in her arms. "Excuse me. She's getting a little antsy."_

_"I'll walk wit' ya." He replied standing up with her. _

_"No, thanks. She doesn't take too kindly to me being around strangers." She said in a flat tone. _

_"Well, we know each other's name righ'? We went to the same school. We're not strangers anymore." Scabior said with a smirk. _

_"You don't give up do you?" she asked trying to keep Little Baby from wiggling out her arms. _

_"Not usually. I'm wot Rooster calls a pain in the arse." _

_"Alright, fine, but no funny business." She replied. _

_

* * *

__Scabior was on his hands and knees at eye level with Little Baby. He had a skinny little twig in his hands, holding it above her black nose. _

_"Ya wan' the twig?" he asked waving the twig around in Little Baby's face. She was on her back paws and her front paws out in a curve, her pink tongue dangling out of her mouth. "Does L.B wan' the twig? Go get it!" he said pretending to throw the twig, hiding it instead behind his back. Little Baby ran a good ten feet away, stared into the distance and ran back knowing Scabior had it. She stood on her back paws again, with her front paws out in a curve. "Alright ya want the stick for real this time girl?" he asked. _

_He threw the twig and Little Baby ran off into the direction it was thrown. She didn't catch it, but she picked it up, ran back to him, and placed the twig at his knees. She jumped on his lap and pawned at his shirt. _

_"Don' like strangers my arse." He said, looking up at Anya. _

_Anya tittered to herself, sitting cross legged on a nearby bench. "But it's true. She doesn't normally take kindly to most people. She barks and growls at them." _

_"I don' min' bein' the minority." He said picking up the small dog and rubbing her belly. Her back paws twitched in delight and she curled into his touch. Anya spoke in a light voice. _

_"Are you liking the extra attention Little Baby? You're getting spoiled aren't you?' She turned back to him and pushed her black hair behind her.__"So you said you had a sister? What's she like?" _

_"Felicity?" he asked. "She's a stick in the mud, luv." He replied. _

_"Do you have any other brothers or sisters?" _

_"Wot are ya doin'? Writin' my memoir or somethin'?" he scoffed._

_"Sorry." She replied tucking her hands into the sleeves of her sweater and casting her eyes down. "It's just… nothing." _

_"Wot?" _

_"Nothing." _

_"Tell me, luv." _

_"It'll sound crazy." _

_"I don' min' crazy." _

_Anya shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't even know you. You wouldn't understand." _

_"Try me." He said getting up with Little Baby sprawled out in his lap and he sat close to her on the bench. He casually placed one arm around her, and Little Baby huffed. "This will sound crazy, but I don't remember much from my past." _

_" 'ow much is not much?" he asked. _

_"Nothing at all, till I was eight I think. I was found wandering around Midian. They picked me up, took me to this orphanage. I was there till I was about sixteen, then I just left. They were muggles, they had no idea about our world."_

_"Shit." He said, stroking the nape of her neck and watching her cheeks turn a bright shade of pink. "I'm sorry, luv." _

_"No, it's alright. I remember bits and pieces, but nothing substantial." She said. "Little Baby is the only thing I have. She's my family." He ran his fingers through her hair, and down the side of her cheek. She leaned into his touch, perhaps involuntarily, but it still put a grin on his face. "I love hearing stories about other people's families." She said softly. "It makes the pain of not having a real family a little easier." _

_"If ya want stories I got yer stories." Scabior said. "Rooster is hell of an annoyin' piece of trashy shit, my mum is alright, but she sucks up to Rooster and his li'le brat Melody likes to get 'igh and mighty with me." _

_"Melody?" _

_"My step sister- Rooster's daughter. Then t'ere's Felicity—- I already told ya 'bout 'er. Me older brother Victor passed on, but t'at's the lot of them." _

_"But you love them and they love you." _

_"Whatever ya call it." He said. _

_"I'm jealous." Anya replied. She looked around the park, then at Scabior. "Thank you for keeping me company." She said. "I mean that. Everyone mostly ignores me." _

_"Then try talkin' to them." _

_"Why bother?" she said._

_"Well ya look sad." _

_"I do?" _

_"Yea', ya look like one of the saddest people I ever met." _

_"I'm not though." _

_"Well ya look it. You should smile more. Ya got a pretty smile." He touched her cheek and she smiled shyly at him, her cheeks turning hot and pinker. "See ya like to smile."_

_There was something about her that he hadn't seen before. It was something unique. Most of the women he was surrounded by were cold and domineering like his old flame Ivory, sensitive like his mother or feisty and silly like Tonks. She was a different breed. There was something so fascinating about her, that he couldn't put into words. She was strong, but she didn't know it. She was pretty and she didn't care, but something about her was so helpless in between her beauty and strength. It was beautiful._

_Anya's hand touched the hand cupping her cheek. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "I like you." She said, not opening her eyes. Scabior grinned._

_"I like you too." _

_"Can I tell you something?" _

_"Yea'." _

_"I'm a fucked up kid lookin' for my own piece of heaven." _

_"Me too." _

_"No games, alright? No mind games, nothing like that." _

_"Okay."_

_"Just be honest with me, I don't care what happens." _

_"Okay." _

_"That's it?" _

_"Sure seems like it."_

_He leaned closer toward her and her cheek, and rubbed his nose against the spot where he kissed. It was an attraction, but surely not love. He didn't love her, but he wanted her. He wanted her strength and helplessness. He didn't want her just that evening- he wanted to open more of her secrets. He inhaled her scent and looked into her dark eyes. He didn't know what came over him, but he pulled her into a slight kiss. Her mouth was tightly closed against his. It was only a second until she pulled away from him. _

_"I don't normally go that far." She said, breathing heavily, touching her lips. "I don't know." _

_"First time fer everythin'." He said._

_She pulled her sweater tighter to her and stood up from the bench, trying to avoid his eyes. "Erm, Little Baby and I have to go." She said, taking Little Baby off of his lap. _

_"Do ya need me ta walk ya home?" he asked, standing up._

_"No." Anya replied. "Thank you for everything." _

_"Sure." He said. "I'll see ya tomorrow, Baby Doll." He said, the nickname rolling off his tongue so casually. _

_"How can you be so sure?" she asked, turning back to look at him as she walked on her way. _

_"Oh I'm sure, luv." _

_Anya chuckled and turned around fully, making her way down the street. Scabior smirked and checked the money in his pocket. He still had a few sickles and a galleon left. He walked back to Patty's and figured he might as well spend it on something worthwhile. _

He lazily opened his eyes and saw the dark sky, high bushes and a rose garden. The grass beneath himself rubbed against his neck, and itched so badly he felt his skin would go raw. He raised an arm up and felt the pain in his side multiply. He groaned and straightened his body till there was nothing, but a dull ache. He looked from side to side of the courtyard and saw no one. The wind and the itchy grass was his only company, and the stillness in the air was no help. It felt like Azkaban once again. He was completely alone. He wasn't sure how long he had been lying there, but it hurt to move and apparating was too dangerous in his condition.

He suddenly heard the soft sound of footsteps, disturbing the silence. He took out his wand and prepared for a feeble fight. He only prayed it was one of the Malfoy's and not Bellatrix.

"Hello?" the voice said. It was a woman's voice, but it wasn't sharp and haggard like Bellatrix's. "Can you hear me?" she asked. He sighed with relief and tried to form words, but nothing came out.

The woman's voice was getting closer and closer to him, until she was by his side and leaning over him. She had curly brown hair and beautiful bright green eyes. She was on her knees, on the moist ground, placed a black bag next to her and touched his forehead, checking the pulse on his neck, and she opened his eyes wider, holding the tip of her wand out and made him follow a bright white light.

"You're not a deaf or mute are you?" She asked. "Yes or no?"

"No." he managed to croak through the pain.

"Good." She said. "Can you sit up for me?"

"No." he replied.

"Why?" she asked, tapping her chin.

"It 'urts." He said through gritted teeth, getting sick of all the questions already.

"Tell me where it hurts, okay?" She said, and Scabior nodded his head. She felt on his shoulders, down his side and touched the pained rib.

"There!" he exclaimed, clenching his teeth. " 'oly motherfuckin'-."

"This may hurt." The healer said, taking off the scarf, removing his chest and unbuttoning his shirt. She pushed him on the opposite side and touched the aching rib. He winced in pain. "Ah I see. This is bad. You should've gone straight to an healer. If you continued on you could've done more damage." She said, flicking her wand over the bone. A sharp pain rang through his body, but suddenly the pain was gone. "There you go."

Scabior leaned his body up and touched his side. It felt like a lifetime since he could touch his ribs without any pain. He grinned up at her, gray-blue eyes looked her up and down. She was a pretty woman, a little bit older than him, probably around Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy's age, but showed very little signs of her age. She barely seemed to notice his glances and instead touched his cheek and turned it. He became aware of the reason when he felt a tingling pain on the side of his face that had glided up against the whip coming from Bellatrix's wand.

"I've been 'it before." he said. "It's nothin' I can' 'andle."

"You're a Snatcher." She said. "You're exposed to all types of climates. If you leave that gash open, you'll find yourself with a nasty infection. Gangrene isn't fun." She said dragging her wand over the gash and slowly the pain in his cheek numbed.

"Why are ya 'elping me?" he asked.

"I'm a healer. I took a vow to help anyone and everyone." She said. "My only wonder is why you are the only snatcher still here?"

"The only one? W'ere are the others?"

"That's why I asked you."

"I don' know. I got in a scuffle wit' the mad woman."

"Bellatrix?" she asked with an eyebrow raised. "You came out of a scuffle with her alive is remarkable."

"Well, I'm a remarkable man." He smirked. "I'm not ready fer my wooden coat yet."

"Whatever keeps you going." She said. Her voice was always at a low, never an octave above a monotone. Though she looked beautiful, she seemed pale and withdrawn. He smirked and winked at her. She grinned only slightly.

"Wot's yer name, beautiful?" he asked.

"Fatima." She replied.

"Wot are ya doin' later? Wanna get a couple of drinks?"

"I'm married." She said holding out a silver band with sapphires around the band. Scabior shrugged.

"Technically, so am I."

"I appreciate the offer, but no thanks. I'm busy." Fatima replied, as something took her attention. Her green eyes drifted to his chest and she cocked her head to the side. Her lips parted into a O

"Wh-Where did you get that?" she asked.

The medallion he always had around his neck was given to him by his Father before he could remember. It wasn't something he investigated or truly cared about it was just something he had.

"I 'ad it since I was a kid. It's me old mans."

Fatima frowned and looked him up and down. She placed the tip of her wand to her chin. She muttered something under her breath and touched his shoulder gently. "Dress yourself and stay here."

"Why?"

"Don't move, just stay here."

Fatima ran back in the house, and as Scabior buttoned his shirt and vest up, Fatima returned with Mrs. Malfoy by her side. Fatima held Narcissa by the hand and pulled her toward Scabior. He wasn't sure how long he had been out cold in the courtyard, or how he got there, but it was long enough time for Narcissa Malfoy to put a coat of cover up on her bruised red eyes. Her hair was frizzy and falling on her shoulders. She looked like she had been crying for a while and could barely keep herself together.

"I remember you." She said to him. "You worked with my husband, didn't you?"

"Yes ma'am." He said, standing up. She was a shorter woman than he thought, even in heels he still could look down on her.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Scabior."

Her blue eyes widened and then her brow furrowed. She exhaled sharply through her nostrils and turned to Fatima.

"What did you want to show me?"

"Show her." Fatima said, nodding at Scabior.

"The medallion?" he asked, reaching into his shirt and pulling it out. Narcissa looked up at him horrified, and grabbed it so hard he bent over.

"You cannot be serious?" she said to herself.

"Is it t'at 'ard to believe?." He croaked, trying to pull from her.

"No…" Mrs. Malfoy said turning to Fatima again. "No, it can't be. He stole it! He must have!"

"I did not!" Scabior exclaimed. "T'ere ya go wit' the stealin' accusations again! The Dark Lord gives you and yers a lickin' and teaches ya a t'ing or two and ya still got a stick up ya arse."

Narcissa ignored him and said to Fatima. "There's no way he- he had to have stolen it."

"Narcissa," Fatima replied. "We don't know for certain, do not get too upset."

"I just-" Narcissa replied shaking. "He-" She turned to him and said. "Whose your Father? What was his name?"

Scabior frowned defensively. "I don' 'ave to answer to ya." He said.

"See!" Narcissa replied pointing at him.

Fatima held her hand out to Narcissa. "Now, now. He's being defensive, just calmly ask him-"

"There's no way that skinny, dirty, runt could even hold a candle to-"

"Skinny? Dirty? Runt?" Scabior said, holding his side and letting out a sarcastic laugh. "Well yer son is pretty close to a runt, if I ever saw one-"

Narcissa's hand collided with his cheek. "You leave my family out of this, you slimy little piece of trash!" Her voice escalated with every word she said.

"Narcissa!" Fatima exclaimed, placing a finger to her lips. "Come now, lets stay calm."

"How can I stay calm when that thief holding a piece of me! Fatima look at me-there is no way-"

"I 'ave stolen before. I cannot lie 'bout t'at. But I didn' steal this. I 'ad this ever since I could remember, ya 'ear?" Narcissa glared daggers at him and folded her arms. "Ya don' believe me? Why would I take this? Wot would I 'ave to gain from it? Hmm? Nothin'. I'm not lyin'."

Narcissa sighed and turned to Fatima. Both women looked back at him, then back at each other. Narcissa shook her head. "No. No, I don't know."

Fatima sighed, and opened her bag, reached inside pulled out a vial. She held it out to Scabior.

"Drink this. It's the only way we can be certain." Scabior looked at it with skeptical eyes and looked back at Fatima.

"For goodness sake." Fatima said. "If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it a while ago."

"Wot is it?"

"It's Veritaserum." She said.

"Wot? I'm not takin' this! Fuck t'at."

"Oh, such language." Narcissa muttered. "I told you he was lying Fatima. All their kind is nothing, but liars and thieves."

Scabior glared at her, snatched the Veritaserum and devoured it in one gulp, no one was going to make him out to be anything he wasn't. He refused. Narcissa grasped the medallion in her hands as tears fell out of her eyes.

"Where did you get this?"

"I 'ad it all me life, like I said before." Scabior replied calmly, temped to lie on the spot to see if he could get away with it, but he wasn't in the mood to deal with anymore games.

"An-And it was given to you, by your family- no one else correct?"

"Yes."

"What do you know about this?"

"Nothin' at all." He said, stuffing his wand in his pocket and shoving his hands in his plaid pants. "Me mum only tells me bits and pieces. She'd rather not talk 'bout it."

"Whose your mother?" she asked, her hands trembling.

Scabior hesitated at first, unsure of if he could trust Narcissa, but he decided to take a leap of faith. "Capucine. Capucine-."

"Molyneux?" she finished.

"Yes?" he asked crossing his arms. " 'ow would you know?"

"Take me to her." She ordered and nodded to Fatima. The curly haired woman took out her wand and pointed it at the Manor.

"_Accio_ _cloak_." She said and a cloak flew into her hands. Narcissa snatched the cloak and wrapped it around herself. She straightened her robes and held Fatima's hand.

"I shouldn't be long, but I need to know...watch over Lucius and Draco please?"

"Of course, love. Don't be too long. Be safe." Fatima said kissing Narcissa on the cheek and apparating back in the Manor. Narcissa turned to Scabior and gave him a nod.

"Alright, I'm ready." Narcissa said. Scabior reluctantly took her soft hand in his and they apparated to Capucine's home.

_Anya had Scabior carry most of the bags she got from Diagon Alley up the stairs to her flat while she held onto Little Baby. _

_"Don'cha want to use an extension charm on these damn bags?" he asked as he blindly walked up the stairs. _

_"I'm not seventeen yet." She said. "Not till December I guess, at least that's what they said. I can't use magic outside of school. Shouldn't you be in school now?" he asked. _

_"Not anymore." Scabior replied through the bags. _

_"I guess we're all in the same aren't we? I wasn't planning on going back anyway. Hurry up, and put your back into it." She said putting her key into the lock and turned it, opening the door. "Come inside." She said. _

_Scabior walked in and looked around her small flat. It was fairly spacious for one girl and her dog. To the right was a small green kitchen, with a window above the sink, and to the left under a sky light was her bed, with a bookcase, an asher and an open sketch book. In between the right and the left was a couch and two worn down, discolored chairs. _

_"Put the bags on the kitchen floor." She said placing Little Baby on the floor and letting her run over to the left side of her apartment and jumped on her purple colored bed, circling around the edge of the mattress and resting her head on her front paws._

_"Take a seat." Anya replied taking a few dog treats out of one of her bag and giving them to Little Baby. "There you go little girl." Scabior leaned back on the red couch and leaned back. _

_"Mind if I smoke?" he asked taking a cigarette out of his leather jacket pocket._

_"There's an ash tray somewhere around there." _

_Scabior scanned the area of the ash tray from near the bed, and placed it on his lap as he smoked. From the corner of his eye he saw Anya grab a bottle of firewhiskey in one of the cabinets and poured some of it into two glasses. She walked toward him and handed him the glass. _

_"I made yours strong." She said. _

_"Oh yer a doll, luv." He said drinking his whiskey from the glass._

_"Yeah I know." She replied sipping from her glass and curling up in the opposite direction from him, placing her feet on the couch, next to his thighs. _

_She had cute little feet. Smooth, with not a sign of any harsh story behind it, no corns, not even a dry spot and especially not too big. He liked small feet. He could've held her beautiful foot in the palm of his hands and circled his fingers on her piggy red painted toe nails. He could feel his manhood twitch when he saw a silver toe ring on her second right toe of her foot. What he wouldn't give just to touch them. _

_"What are you staring at?" she asked, before taking another sip from her whiskey glass. _

_"Yer feet, luv." He said. _

_"What about it?" she asked. _

_"Yer feet are absolutely gorgeous." He said, taking another gulp from his whiskey. _

_"I think you're drunk already." Anya replied with a half-smile._

_"Not yet, baby doll." He said. She ran her fingers through her black hair and shoved her hair back off of her delectable neck. He crossed his leg one on top of the other and sighed. _

_"This is relaxing." _

_"It's lonely." Anya said in her low raspy voice. "There's no one to visit, nowhere to go, and no one to talk to, except Little Baby." _

_"Ya can talk to me, baby doll." He said. "I'll listen." _

_"We'll see for how long. You're only waiting for a romp in that bed over there." Anya replied. _

_"Nothin' wrong wit' wantin' a li'le lovin' darlin'. Ya might even like it." _

_"I doubt that." Anya replied taking a large gulp from her whiskey glass and her face twisted in discomfort. "What makes you different from any others at the pub?" _

_"I'll show you." he said, finishing his whiskey. _

_Anya stared off into the distance for a moment, when something caught her attention. She moved an inch closer to him and brought her hands to his neck and fingered one of the medallions he was wearing. On the black emblem was two greyhounds rampant charged with a chevron, two five-pointed stars and a short sword. Under the sword in a black banner with white lettering read 'Toujours Pur'. _

_"Toujours Pur?" Anya asked, doing her best to word out the French. _

_"It means 'always pure'." He said._

_"Where did you get that?" he asked. _

_"It was me old mans. He gave it to my mum when I was a tot." _

_"That's a family crest." She said. "I'm jealous," Her voice drifted into a sad tone. "You have a family crest. Someone must love you enough to give you that as a reminder." _

_Scabior shook his head. "My old man is dead. I don' know much of his family."_

_"At least he loved you." Anya said her voice low, and her eyes cast down. Scabior's hand drifted down on her hand and gave it a tight squeeze. It still didn't soften the lost puppy dog look in her eyes. "I need a bath." She said getting up from her seat and walking to the bathroom. _

_Scabior listened for the door to close all the way, but it didn't. He heard the water start, and stop and the sound of bathwater colliding against the walls of the tubs. Little Baby and himself made eyes, as Scabior tried to think of his next course of action. Half of him wanted to take a peak into the bathroom, but the other half wasn't sure what to expect to find. Last thing he needed was for him to run into a stinging charm. Little Baby jumped off her bed, walked toward him and took Anya's place in her seat. _

_"Wot?" he asked the dog as it looked up at him. Little Baby yawned and laid her head back on her front paws. He rubbed her head and behind her ears, and tried to think of a way to solve his awkward situation. He shrugged and made his way back to the bathroom, at least he would get a peak._

_To his disappointment, a shower curtain was covering everything but her head. Her wet black hair stuck to her shoulders, and her dark eyes were fixed forward, her left arm hung off the edge, and the window to the right of her reflected off of wet black hair. _

_"You see something you like?" she asked, not looking at him._

_"Maybe." He replied, leaning against the door. _

_"You've never seen a naked woman before?" _

_"Many times." _

_"Then this shouldn't be anything new." She replied. Her lips were stiff in an unmoving apathetic straight thin line, and her dark brown eyes were barren. "Wash my back." She said, finally looking at him. _

_Without hesitation he threw off his leather jacket off and on the hallway floor and pushed his sleeves up and walked toward the bath tub. The closer he came to her the more he could see how tiny she was. Her shoulder blades were easily visible along with her rib cage, and the bones in her spine, poked out like small mounds down her back. _

_She handed him a pink sponge and leaned forward he moved the sponge in small circles, careful not to forget a single spot. He scrubbed throughly so he could stare at her exposed figure. When she noticed him staring she turned around just enough so he could only see one dark eye. _

_"Are you a pure blood?" she asked. _

_"I reckon not." he replied. "Don' know fer sure. Me mum is a half blood, and I reckon dear ol' dad was a pure blood." _

_"So that would make you a quarter muggle. If you have a kid it might be considered pure blood." _

_"Spoken like an optrimist." _

_"You mean an optimist." Anya corrected._


	5. Ain't No Rest For The Wicked

_My dear friend is sick right now and she really needed a distraction. I will go back and fix a few mistakes made and fix up (or ruin) Scabior's grammar. Just so you know. :) _

_Enjoy. _

_-Val_

_P.S: Anything Liam Cutting says DOES NOT reflect my personal views. He's a despicable character in my eyes. _

* * *

_Scabior walked with his hands in his jacket pocket as he marched through the grimy streets with Liam Cutting by his side. The man was wearing a grey overcoat, black and white striped pants and a gray top hat. __Knockturn Alley wasn't the most pleasant place in the world, but Cutting owned the parts and he loved showing his associates his little empire. It reigned from the eerie Knockturn to the Four Points of Xenia. Wolfie, Charlie and Esme walked behind the two men glaring other passerby's down with cold stares . Esme was a big woman, about six feet tall, most of her teeth were missing, but the ones that remained were sharpened to a point. Her curly hair was dirty and matted and hung on the shoulders of her smelly and dirty shirt. Scabior noticed she always seemed to smell like fish as well. The bitch hated men, Scabior knew it, but her hatred for him didn't stop her from looking Anya up and down and smiling at her. Damn, hell cat. As much as he wanted to punch the rest of her teeth in, he couldn't. Liam Cutting wouldn't allow his gracious few to be divided._

_He had seen Knockturn Alley before, but he'd rather be in the area opposite way in Xenia with Anya and Chibs. Cutting was grand to be around, but the lack of sleep and his aching back caused him discomfort. His thoughts were interrupted when he inhaled the rancid smell of stale recycled tobacco and looked up to see Cutting looking him up and down with his brow furrowed and his hair under his top hat sticking to his shiny forehead. _

_"Look son," Cutting said to Scabior his crooked nose and sharp brown eyes taking up most of the younger mans view. His dirty hand that smelled of tobacco was placed on Scabior's shoulder. "There are plenty of people in our world and if there's one thing I've learned. It's that everyone and anyone has a price to pay. From the Death Eaters former and then some, to the mudbloods, vampires, werewolves, the prancers, the he/she's, the hellcats, the jigs, harpies, pancake faces, and the pom-poms. No one gets in and out of here without paying, because that's how the world works. Everyone owes and everyone pays. I see a lot of myself in you, son. You've got so much life boiling inside of you. You've got that hunger for power, for money. I like that. Don't lose that fire, or you'll be as hopeless as that muddy lover Dumbledore. Thank the Christian Lord I never had children to go to Hogwarts and be learned that filth. Mudbloods and purebloods holding hand in hand. Tsk tsk." He spat on the ground, hitting Esme's shoe with his discolored phlegm. _

_From the corner of Scabior's eye he could see her glare, but just as quickly her look softened. _

_"If you ever have a son promise me you won't teach him that filth. Let him work for me and in return I promise you he'll get his head straight just like his old man." _

_"Yes sir." Scabior nodded. Cutting smirked and turned around to Wolfie and said;_

_"When is your boy going to come around sometime, Wolf?" _

_"When he's old enough, sir." Wolfie said barely above a mutter his eyes looking above Cutting's head, and not at him directly. _

_"Boy, speak up. How many times do I have to tell you that?" _

_"I said when he's old enough sir." Wolfie said louder. _

_"Good boy." Cutting said, turning back to Scabior. "Wolfie's old lady still talking to her filthy little muggle jig family?" _

_"They raised 'er, sir." Scabior said, evenly. He tried to keep his tone a trace of indifference, so he wouldn't signal any attachment to the family. They were good people to her, even if they didn't like him much. "Like she was their own." Ivory's real name was Persephone Lorraine-Elizabeth Palidino, but because of her light skin and and blonde hair in contrast to the brown skin and black hair of her adopted family they nicknamed her "Ivory" and she'd been that way ever since. She would often become enraged when thinking of the woman who left her on the doorstep of the muggle family. She changed her name officially to Ivory Sweets so her real mother wouldn't trace her. _

_"I don't care, son." Cutting said, leaning closer to him. In fact he so close Scabior could taste the tobacco from the older mans breath on his palate. "She's gotten him beaten down. He's not even a man. Look at him. Barely talks, or says anything worth listening to and not to that bitch of a broad he has."_

_He could see Wolfie's body start to stiffen, his shoulders moved back and his eyes cast forward and dark. _

_Scabior frowned at Cutting, but watched his words and expressions carefully. "Sir, Wolf is one of the bravest men I know. Ya can't believe t'at. Yea' he don' say much, but 'e's a man of action." _

_"Humph." Cutting said with a laugh. "Loyalty. That's why I like you, Scabior. You and I could do great things with this world. Keep that fire alive within yourself. Money and power is the most important things you could ever hope to own. Right boys?" _

_"Yes sir." Scabior said, while the others said "Yes, Mr. Cutting." _

_"There's no point in saying ladies to the hellcat." Cutting said pointing to Esme with his thumb. "They like the same thing that I do." He paused to glance at Esme. "It isn't right, for a woman to like other women you know?" _

_"Yes sir." _

_"It's an abomination, ya know? Jigs, mudbloods, prancers, hell cats, the whole lot of them. I'll tell you something, Scabior." He said. "If you ever get a chance to kill a prance or a hell cat please make sure you give me their head so I can stuff it and hang it on my fucking mantel." Cutting laughed and Scabior's lips curled in to a smile._

_Scabior looked up to Cutting. He couldn't lie. He was a poor boy who created an empire with the tip of a knife and two balled fist. Liam's parents were murdered by mudbloods who broke into his pub, but he survived and later killed them when he was old enough. He never failed to tell that story at the bar, making most of the muggle borns in his pub squirm. After that he worked his way up from the slums of London to own most of the underground of wizarding London and the surrounding towns. Everyone not only feared him, but they respected him. However as much as Scabior admired him, the man was a nasty character and had a lot of enemies. The mudbloods hated him, but the blacks, orientals, and the other communities hated him even more. Scabior would often think of how easily he could own the pub and get Anya off of his back about money. He could walk among the aristocrats and have a story to tell about how he got his money and power. His money would have a story. The pureblood aristocrats were born with a silver spoon in his hand, while he had to work for his money._

_Anya could wear those luxurious dresses and not make them for others and he could rub shoulders with the other purebloods and tell them to go to hell with little or no repercussions. He didn't want to be under Cutting's thumb for the rest of his days. He refused. _

_His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Cutting slam the pub door open. "PATTY!" he screamed, throwing one of the knives he kept in a holster next to his wand. It missed Patty's head by an inch. His face looked distorted and his eyes had looked like they widened to the size of a gold ball. "YOU MOTHER WHORING IRISH MUDDY, WHO THE HELL TOLD YOU TO STOP WORKING!"_

_"No one sir-" _

_"THEN GET BACK TO WORK!" Cutting's eyes turned to Scabior and he motioned him inside. "Come on, son. Hurry up." _

"I'm hurrying." He muttered to Narcissa, barely able to keep up with her.

"I don't have all day!" she snapped at him. "I have to get back before _he_ does."

"Whose he?" Scabior asked, but she didn't answer. He assumed it was 'The Snake Man' himself. For a moment he felt sorry for her to be technically a prisoner in her own home, but that sympathy left as soon as it came. Narcissa marched ahead of him toward the house, her fist balled and her robes dragging on the ground staining the tail ends of the green velvet with mud. She gracefully avoided a few chickens and a large rooster.

"She might not even be 'ome." Scabior said to her, as he stared at the fat rooster.

"We'll see." Narcissa said, knocking on the door with her balled fist. Scabior folded his arms and looked disdainfully at the home he bought for his mother. His eyes peered into the thick glass window and saw his mother's gray-blue eyes peak out from the window near the sink, with several wet dishes filling the silver basin.

_'Of course she's washin' dishes.' _He thought. _'She's always washin' dishes 'round this time.'_

The door opened half way and before he could blink, he saw a flash of dark hair and felt someone's arms around him, nearly choking the life out of him.

"Baby…" he heard his mother say over his shoulder. Her voice was light and relieved. He hadn't seen her in so long he'd forgotten how silky her French accent was. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Yea', I'm fine mum." He said tapping her back lightly, trying to get her off of him, but she held firm. "Alright mum." He said, but once again she wasn't moving. He leaned in slightly and hugged her, diving into her black hair. After a few seconds he pulled up, but her arms were still wrapped around him.

"Okay mum." he said, letting out an exasperated sigh. She finally separated from him and placed a hand on each side of his cheeks and kissed them. "My precious little boy." She said with a smile/ Slowly her smile dissipated into frown. She sniffed the air and scrunched her nose. "Darling," she said. "I wish you had washed up before you came."

"Sorry."

"My lord, when was the last time you've bathed?" she asked, holding her nose. "You smell like sweat, liquor, cheap cigarettes and wet dog. My lord, answer me when was the last time you've bathed."

"Erm…" Scabior said, straining to remember.

"Enough said." Capucine replied, but still wrapping an arm around him, then suddenly pushed him away and slapped him hard on the head.

"OW!" he exclaimed, grabbing the place where she hit. "Mum, t'at fuckin' 'urt." She plucked his and he grabbed his mouth with the other hand.

"Don't curse in front of me! You know I don't like foul language" she snapped. "Why haven't you come to visit me?"

Scabior tried to speak, but it was hard with his mother's fingers clenching into the skin on his upper and bottom lip. She let go and Scabior said; "I was-"

"Or at least owl'd me you little ingrate."

"But mum-"

"How long have you been out of Azkaban?"

"Erm," Scabior hesitated. "I don't know awhile-"

"Have you even seen Anya?"

"Well-"

"What about Colt? Hmm? Have you seen them? Have you even tried-"

"I-"

"I didn't think so."

"Are ya gonna give me a chance to finish a sentence?"

"Not till you give me a good reason to even listen to your excuses."

"Fine, mum." Scabior scoffed.

"I can't believe you Scabior! What have you been doing?"

"Why do ya even care?"

"Because I'm your mother!" she snapped. She opened her mouth to say something more when she heard someone clear their throat loudly. She turned her head to see Narcissa glaring at her with her arms crossed tapping and her foot rapidly. Capucine cleared her throat and smiled at her.

"Hello darling," she said in a warm voice, but Narcissa exhaled heavily through her nostrils. "It sure is a pleasure to see you. How long has it been-"

"Capucine, may we talk in private?" Narcissa said coldly.

Scabior rarely ever saw his mother mad, instead she would get moderately annoyed. She would fuss and perhaps clench her jaw and raise a eyebrow, but she never yelled at him. He worried she might get more than annoyed with Narcissa. She raised her dark eyebrow raised and put her hands on her hips.

"What about?" she asked.

"His medallion."

"Which one?" Capucine asked. "He has several. He's collected them over the years. There's the spider one, the crucifix one and what's the one your Aunt Francesca got you from Egypt? Oh the Ra god one-"

"The one that says _Toujours Pur, _Capucine."

Capucine's face turned a gray pale. She swallowed hard and looked at Scabior then back at Narcissa. "Uh, so. What does that have to do with my son?" Scabior frowned at his mother and turned back to Narcissa.

"_That_ medallion isn't from your family is it?"

"No-"

"That's family crest of the Black Family. _My_ family."

"Well, yes-"

"So what is _my_ family crest doing on _your_ sons neck."

"Oh dear." Capucine said placing a hand to her temple and massaging it. "Sweetheart, calm down. You're upset-"

"I don't have time for this. Did my father give it to you?"

"He gave it to Scabior."

"Why would he do that? He was a child when my father was alive."

"Narcissa-"

"I want answers now Capucine! I see no way in Merlin's Earth that, that thing would even hold a candle to my ancestors."

"I understand you're upset dear, but you'll address my son by his name and only his name. Anything else and I will-"

"I don't care about respectability anymore!" Narcissa exclaimed. "All I want to know is why does he have my family crest around his scrawny neck!" She was interupted by the fat rooster charging toward her and started pecking at her robes. It spread its wings and squawked loudly. She scooted from the mad bird backwards. She yelped in fright as it follow her and Scabior started to laugh. She barely looked up to glare at him as the rooster came closer and closer. Capucine clapped her hands at it.

"Shoo! Shoo! I mean it shoo!" she said firmly. The bird started to back down, but Scabior's laughter didn't. Capucine plucked him in the temple with her index finger.

"Ow! Mum!"

"Don't laugh at her!" Capucine exclaimed. "She's scared! She's not used to being around animals like you are. You've lived with a monkey for years, she hasn't."

The rooster clucked and walked to the other side of the house, but kept its eye on them. Scabior stared at it, and shook his head. The rooster had a long scar from the top of his head to the bottom of his beak. It reminded him of someone.

Narcissa placed a hand to her chest and looked back up at Capucine. The older woman hadn't moved from her spot and didn't back down as Narcissa stomped her way back to her.

"I demand to know why he's wearing my family crest and I want answers now!"

"I wan' to know too, mum." Scabior added. He never questioned why he had it or how it came into his possession. Even if he did wonder his mother wouldn't answer him. She only said his Father gave it to him, before he died. Every time he asked about his Father she'd go into a fit of tears. He hated when women would start to cry. He hated anyone crying.

Capucine's shoulders dropped and she turned to Scabior. "Oh," she said. "I was hoping you wouldn't- Come inside." she said making her way inside with the other two following behind her. Narcissa shoved him out the way with a push of her elbow in his chest. Scabior lost his temper and shoved her from behind as hard as he could. She nearly tripped and landed on her face, but caught herself on the door frame. She turned around with a snarl on her face.

"You dirty, slimy, ignorant little bastard!" she said with her fist balled and her pale face turning a bright red. "You'll regret that! Do you know who I am? Do you know what I can do to you-"

"Right, send yer wandless 'usband and yer scared son after me. Oh Merlin, I'm shakin'."

"Why you-"

"Stop it!" Capucine growled coming in between the two of them. "You're family, you shouldn't be arguing like bratty children!"

"She touched me first!" Scabior said. "She shoved 'er-wait, wot did ya say?"

"I said stop arguing." Capucine repeated.

"No, after t'at."

"That's why I wanted you two to come inside and act civil." She said, walking into the dining room. "I'll explain in the dining room."

The dining room where most of his important conversations had taken place with his mum, hadn't changed much since he first bought it for her. It was a small room, with moving photographs and portraits on the walls, and a round table in the center of the square room, with more than enough chairs. It looked spotless as if she had cleaned it nearly a hundred times to get the wood to shine and the light from the candles to bounce off the glass of the photographs. She was scared and anxious. He could tell when she was. Usually if he was in trouble with the law and she had been worrying for his safety the rooms would be spotless and a ton of food would be prepared.

She sat at the dining table with Narcissa to her left and Scabior standing and leaning on the wall with the threshold of the door to his left and to his right a photograph of him on his ninth birthday. His face covered in cake icing and his arms wrapped around a small White Headed Capuchin he named Chibs. He smiled at the boy who was smiling back at him and remembered the old times with his old friend.

Capucine lit a cigarette looked up at him and said. "Darling, sit down. This has a lot to do with you." Capucine waited for Scabior to sit down and exhaled sharply through her nose.

"Scabior, Narcissa—- Cygnus made me swear that you two wouldn't know about each other until the time was right. For as long as I've known him he wanted to make sure you wouldn't know till it was safe-"

"Why?" Narcissa asked.

"Give me a minute darling." Capucine said trying, to remain calm. "He loved both of you so much and after what happened with Andromeda, it changed something in him. It changed his thinking and everything. He had his prejudices till the day he died, but he wasn't the same. He wanted to make sure there wouldn't be another rift in the family, especially with the Dark Lord being so powerful at the time and with Bellatrix's sanity—- it simply wasn't the right time to tell you-"

"Can you please get to the point?" Narcissa snapped. Scabior turned to her and scowled.

"Give 'er a minute, goddamn it-"

"No one was talking to you trash!"

"I am gettin' pretty fuckin' sick of yer mouth, bit-"

"STOP!" Capucine screamed. Both of them whipped their necks around from each other to her. "You know I don't allow foul language in my home, Scabior! You two shouldn't fight, Cygnus didn't want you two to be at each other's throats like animals! You two share the same father after all-"

Narcissa stared at her and shook her head, while Scabior blinked in disbelief. He knew just being related through a cousin or a uncle was one thing, but through the same father was

"No, that's a lie." Narcissa said.

"There was no easier way to put it." Capucine replied.

"How? How is that possible?" Narcissa asked.

"Well, Narcissa," Scabior said turning to her with a exaggerated look of concern. "Ya should know 'ow t'at happens, considerin' ya 'ave a kid of yer own, but anyway. When a mummy and a daddy-"

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT TRASH!"

"HUSH!" Capucine said. "I cannot believe this! Narcissa, Cygnus raised you to behave better and Scabior, I raised you not to act in such a manner. Both of you behave or I'll treat you like the children you are. No name calling, no cursing and do not speak until the other person is done speaking understand?"

"Yes." They both said in unison, glaring at each other at the corner of their eyes.

"Narcissa, you were saying." Capucine said, inhaling from her cigarette and exhaling smoke.

"How could I be related to _him_?" She hissed spitefully. "There's no way on Merlin's earth that I could be related to him."

Scabior turned to her and scoffed. "Yeah, well yer not wot I would call sister material, yer too old and too crow-faced to even 'old a candle to me."

"Well, runt it's not a fond idea of mine to be related to you either. The Black's come from a line of pureblood aristocracy, we don't mingle with gutter trash bastards."

Capucine placed a hand to her temple and muttered in French to herself, shaking her head. Her woe was mute to the bitter brother and sister as they argued over her head.

"Right, well don'cha 'ave a cousin ya should be datin'? I 'eard Blacks are notorious for their mixed up family tree!"

"You're one to talk!" Narcissa snapped. "How many children do you have running around like baboons? How many prostitutes have you bedded? You cannot compare to us-"

"BULLOCKS!" he screamed, his face growing red. "Yer broken down little bitch of a 'usband and wussy son won' live a day if ya keep pushin' my buttons, bitch-"

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY FAMILY! MARK MY WORDS, TRASH! YOU LEAVE MY FAMILY ALONE-"

The two barely noticed Capucine standing up from the table, pulling out her wand, casting a silencing charm at both of them and ropes immediately clasped around their bodies. Narcissa looked at the ropes holding her body to the chair and screamed and yelled, but nothing was heard.

"SHUT UP!" Capucine exclaimed. "BOTH OF YOU! You both have every right to be upset, I will admit that, but you should be glad this happened! People are losing family members left and right! You should be grateful to have a real foundation of some sort of family left! Andromeda lost her husband not too long ago, and Dora is having a baby on top of that, that's your flesh and blood too!"

Scabior's heart dropped when he heard Tonk's name. Not his Tonks, it couldn't be. There had to be a mistake somewhere. Although Dora and himself hadn't spoken in years, he missed her. The last thing he's heard about her was she had become a Auror. He could've never guessed in his dreams that she'd be related to him.

"'ow is Andromeda my flesh and blood?" Scabior asked to deaf ears, his stomach was doing cartwheels in fear of what his mother was to say. Capucine turned her attention to him and unsilenced him.

"Come again?"

"How is Andromeda my flesh and blood?" he repeated.

"That was Cygnus's daughter."

Scabior's stomach dropped even further. If Andromeda was his sister then Tonks would be—

"Shit." He said softly to himself, looking away from his mother.

"What did you say?" Capucine asked with her wand raised.

"Nothing, mum." He said. He wasn't in the mood to get zapped for cursing again, especially after the news of discovering his Dora was his neice.

Capucine muttered under her breath in French and sighed. She turned to a glaring Narcissa who was fighting hard against the ropes. After she finally gave up, Capucine continued.

"You both have to understand why I hid it from you. You see, I'm a half blood, and if your family- The Black family knew they would never accept it. They'd disown your father and he so much wanted to be apart of your life dear and Draco's." She paused momentarily to see Narcissa's facial expression. Her scowl had softened at the mention of her father. Capucine continued. "Cygnus and I wanted to get married, but there was too much of a risk involved. Scabior wasn't planned and I surely didn't want him to become a burden to your mother or your family. Your father and I handled it in private, so it wouldn't be an embarrassment for him and myself to have a child out of wedlock."

Narcissa uttered something, but she was mute. Capucine silenced Scabior and unsilenced Narcissa.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"That explains his trips to France." Narcissa said, letting out a scoff and shaking her head. Her blue eyes started to water and she hung her head low. "I don't understand." she said.

Capucine noticed Scabior speaking, and silenced Narcissa once again. "Quiet voices, baby." She said soothingly and Scabior nodded.

"There's nothin' to understand, Cissy." he said, forcing his tone to be soft. "Our dad knocked my mum up, hence the reason why I'm standin' 'ere."

"Scabior, please," Capucine said. "She's in shock, it isn't an easy potion to swallow."

Capucine unsilenced Narcissa, and silenced Scabior.

"But, Father he wouldn't be with you. There must be some sort of misunderstanding or mistake. He wouldn't be with someone of your…" Narcissa said, shaking her head.

"Blood status?" Capucine finished her sentence. "No offense taken. I may be old, but I'm not stupid. Your father was certainly prejudiced at the start of our relationship, till we started talking and he opened up to me. Very slowly. I was simply his pupil at first, and he was my teacher. Nothing more, at least in the beginning-"

Scabior started trying to speak. She was growing weary of the game of silencing and unsilencing the other. She looked between the two.

"Can I trust you all won't yell and scream anymore?" The two of them looked at each other and then back to Capucine and nodded. She lifted the silencing charm.

"Teacher in what?" Scabior asked.

"Opera. You know that-may I finish?"

"Please." Scabior said leaning in his chair, glancing at Narcissa with disdain.

"Soon we held practices outside of the studio, and slowly we started going to lunch. He liked my mind, and he liked my ideas. According to him I didn't simply regurgitate the same old pureblood nonsense, but after Andromeda was disowned- I was married at the time. He changed and he started seeing things differently and thinking, then my first husband at the time Alec died and well a couple years later Scabior was conceived."

"Why would you go through with it?" Narcissa said, her voice cracking, but still maintained a sharp tone. "You would embarrass my Father and our family, all for him." she said nodding to Scabior. "You could've ruined everything, but you were selfish. You'd rather have him," She said nodding to Scabior. He opened his mouth to say something, but Capucine looked at him and shook her head. "And bring shame to our family name. I bet when Father died, you had your greedy little palms wide open with money, right?"

"I never wanted any of your money." Capucine said. "I never wanted anything, but a few pictures so I could remember him. I never meant to cause you any sort of pain, dear. However love this is not just my fault. It takes two people to make a baby, he had a hand in this as well. I had no intention on embarrassing Cygnus and your family. I would never do that. I would do everything I could to protect his family, because it meant the world to him. I loved him-"

"Fine, but why would he love _you_? My father loved his blood status and he loved that more than anything, why would he risk that for you?"

"He loved 'er because she's obviously better than yer mum-" Scabior said, what was meant to be a mutter. He only realized what he said loudly when he saw Narcissa's blue eyes dart to him.

"Don't you dare talk about my mother. At least my mother was married when she gave birth to me-"

"Hey, hey, HEY!" she exclaimed, trying to push back the hurt expression on her face. "That doesn't matter who was married or who loved who for whatever reason. The point is you both are siblings, Cygnus loved both of you. He loved all of his children. I only wish he could've known Scabior better. That is my only regret. Narcissa, I beg you though if you love your father, you mustn't let Bellatrix know."

Narcissa stared into her lap and looked up at Capucine. She knew that was the reason, Bellatrix would kill her and Scabior, if she ever found out. The Black family were as notorious for their tempers as drinking ran in the Lestrange family. Bellatrix made Narcissa's mother Druella Black's temper seem dismal. Scabior's run in with Bellatrix was already a big enough taste to last him a lifetime. He could still feel the slight tingle from the rib she damaged even further. He already hated the gash and he'd only been around her for twenty minutes or less. He couldn't imagine being raised with her. He already hated sharing a room with Felicity and Melody until Felicity graduated, got married and left the nest. At least they had their good points, while all he could see in Bellatrix was the same he could see in Ivory. Just a angry little women that no one likes.

"Narcissa?" Capucine said untying the ropes around her and holding the younger womans hands in hers. " I know this is a lot of take in and I know you have a lot on your plate as it stands, but you're going to have to this for me. You're going to have to bury this within yourself. Promise me you will. You cannot let her know. Don't do it for me or Scabior for that matter. Do it for your Father, please. Your Father wanted what's best for you, love."

"Alright, I promise." Narcissa said after a while, but Scabior was skeptical. She wouldn't look Capucine in the eye as she said it. Cutting always said you couldn't trust two things; The word of a woman and the word of someone who couldn't look you in the eye. "It's not as if I talk to her anyway. I could never really talk to her."

"Am I really related to Bellatrix?" Scabior sighed.

"Yes." Narcissa said. "She's my—- well our sister."

"Peachy." Scabior muttered. "This just keeps getting better."

The three of them remained silent for several seconds absorbing the shock they had just received. After awhile Narcissa cleared her throat and looked between them. "I must go." she said. Her skin was paler than normal and bottom lip was trembling. Capucine nodded, helped her out of her chair, and undid the ropes that wrapped around Scabior. Narcissa tried to straighten her face and control the shaking body, but it was she couldn't. Scabior could see right through it. She raised her head up high and squared her shoulders.

"Thank you Capucine." She said, holding her hand out. Her voice was calm, but trembling. "Thank you for telling me." She was returning back to her proper upbringing. Even if Scabior pushed her even further she would still have that within her. Capucine shook her hand back and both women let go of each others hands.

"Come back please anytime." Capucine said with an assuring smile on her face. Narcissa made a face that resembled her reaction if Capucine offered to throw her in shark infested waters instead of coming over to dinner. The blonde woman turned pale and looked as if she was going to vomit on the floor, but instead she rushed out of the room and quickly disapparated with a loud pop. With that Capucine sighed and turned to Scabior.

"Now is there anything I should know about from you?" she said her voice dangerously low.

"I've been thinkin' a lot 'bout ya mummy." Scabior said, grinning and widening his eyes into a puppy dog pout. He used to do as a child to avoid being questioned or getting in trouble. Capucine rolled her eyes and raise a dark eyebrow.

"Stop being a kiss up and tell me what you've been doing. Do not lie." He pointed to the red arm band on his arm. He looked down at the crimson fabric and shrugged. Capucine shook her head. "I knew it. You know you're doing wrong, correct. Whose side are you on anyway?"

"_My_ side." Scabior said truthfully. "Whatever side pays more is the side I root fer."

Capucine shook her head and reached into the pocket of her robes, pulled out her cigarettes and lit another one. Scabior held out his scabbed gloved hand and smiled at his mum. She slipped one out of the marron container and handed it to him. He smiled greedily and lit up his cigarette.

"Don't tell Melly that. About being on your own side, I mean." Capucine said shaking her head. "She'd have a fit."

"Melody thinks she's a matyr."

"She's doing what she believes is right." Capucine said. "Just like Tonks. They both have a extra disliking for red sleeves. Isn't that what they call them. Red sleeves?"

"Yea'." He replied. "Fuck 'em."

"They don't understand you, but they sure do miss you."

"Psh they hate me." He corrected, exhaling smoke through his nostrils. Capucine hung her head low to her chest.

"No. I taught you and Melody better than that. They don't hate you, but they dislike the choices you made."

"I made my own decisions. Wot does Felicity have to say 'bout this?"

"Felicity is on your side as always." Capucine scoffed. "Even as kids she was. She said what you said. You're making your own decisions there's nothing wrong with that, blah blah blah."

"Well she 'as nothing to worry 'bout, t'at's why. She's a 'alf blood, 'er 'usband, Gavin is a 'alfblood. She still 'as 'er job. If she didn' she'd raise 'ell."

"Yes, but you have responsibilities." Capucine said pointing with her cigarette. "Have you seen Anya or your kid? Have you even looked for them?"

"I have a bit-"

"That should've been your first concern and not making money doing- er- whatever it is you do."

"It was my first concern, Mum." He said ashing his cigarette in the ash tray. "I'm gonna to find 'er. 'er name 'asn't come up yet so she's safe. I've been lookin' everywhere-."

"Uh-huh" Capucine said. "So why haven't you come to me? I knew where they were months ago."

Scabior's stomach jolted, but he hid his concern carefully, behind his mask of coldness. He placed the cigarette to his mouth and exhaled after a deep breath.

"Really? Where?"

"How can I trust you?" Capucine asked.

"Ya trust me mummy." He said in a baby voice. "I keep all yer secrets ya know t'at."

"Oh really?" Capucine said putting out her cigarette into the ash tray. "Such as?"

A loud pecking was heard on the front door and both mother and son turned their heads toward it, but Capucine didn't budge.

"I 'aven't told anyone where Mr. Roy Daughtry is."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I know ya 'ate chickens- it reminded you of home."

She stiffened her lip and shuddered being on the farm in France. Scabior heard all the stories of how much she hated the chickens and how they pricked her legs. She hated farm life and she more than happy to leave when her mother found a place in the city.

"It was Roosters idea." She grimaced and stood up and walked to the front door and opened it. The rooster flew into the dining room behind her as she sat down. The rooster looked up at and seemed to glare.

"It's alright, Rooster." Capucine said. "He knows."

After a second or two a tall, gruff looking man with stringy hair and pale skin appeared before them. He would've been a very handsome man had it not been for the scar going down his face from his right temple and stopping at his left ear. He had that scar since he was about thirteen after he got in a bar fight with someone who called him a mudblood. However the other man gotten much worse. He hoped Capucine would leave him, but much to his dislike she didn't.

"I thought I'd fool ya." Rooster said, placing a hand on Capucine's shoulder and she touched his hand gently.

"Yer named Rooster and rooster appears at the 'ouse, I put two and two together. I'm not stupid." Scabior said.

Rooster scoffed at him and took the whiskey bottle on the edge of the table and poured himself a glass and down the shot.

"I thought mum would've told ya to run fer the hills." Scabior said.

"I ain't runnin' like a pussy." He turned to Capucine and placed a hand on her hand. "Forgive me for the language, but I ain't gonna run and hide like a coward. If those Death Eaters or Minister of Magic wants to get me they know where to find me."

"Don' be a fool." Scabior said shaking his head.

"I'm no coward boy. Neither is yer sisters, or yer mum. I'm not going to go down without a fight-"

"It's t'at muggle military bullshit ya been spoon fed before ya left fer 'ogwarts-"

"It's not bullshit it's truth and if you were even half a man you-" Capucine squeezed his hand and he immediately stopped. Scabior had one fist balled and the other wrapped around his wand hidden in his jacket pocket, in case he decided to finish his sentence.

_'Muggle bullshit.'_ He said to himself as his wand hand loosened around the handle. Rooster sat next to Capucine and they talked for several minutes amongst themselves about Narcissa and the fiasco, while he sat there idly waiting for them to acknowledge him. He felt like he was eight years old again, day dreaming while the adults talked.

_"I'm bored." Tonks said as she rested her head on the "kids" table, while Scabior watched Ted and Rooster have at a game of cards, while Andromeda and Capucine did the dishes at the other side of the kitchen. Scabior propped his chin up on his hand. _

_"Me too." he said. _

_"What are we going to do?" _

_"I don' know. I want to sleep." Scabior said, when he felt a pressure on his head and someone picking through his hair. It was Chibs of course doing his daily grooming in Scabior's hair. The little monkey propped himself up on his shoulders nipped and pulled at his brunette strands. _

_"You always want to sleep." Tonks said. "You're so lazy."_

_"T'at's wot mum says." _

_"Maybe we should do something." _

_"Like wot?" Chibs tugged at Scabior's shirt trying to get his attention, but he pulled his hands from the fabric. The monkey was as bored as he was. _

_"I don't know think of something." _

_Scabior placed a hand to his chin and then turned to Chibs who was eyeing a apple slice left on a plate from dinner. Scabior handed the slice to him and put the monkey on his lap as he ate. He scratched the back of Chibs's ear as he left apple bits on his lap. _

_"I 'ave an idea." He said. _

_"What?" Tonks said leaning closer. _

_"We can go up to ya room and shag-" Before he could finish the sentence she tossed a used napkin in her hand at him. Chibs's head perked and he started screaming at her. _

_"See now ya gone and upset 'im." Scabior said. _

"Did you find your kid?"

"Huh?" Scabior breaking his concentration.

"Did-you-find-your-kid-or-not?" Rooster said in one breath.

"No."

"No? Well then why the hell are you still here?"

Scabior exhaled sharply through his nostrils and dragged his untrimmed nails on the wood table. "I'll find 'em. I was talkin' to mum though, but now I'm finished." Scabior said, standing up and making his way out.

Capucine followed behind him. "Are you sure you don't want to stay here for at least a night? Get a bath and a hot meal? Especially a bath." She said holding her nose. "It's no problem, really. You look like you haven't slept in Merlin knows how long."

Scabior weighed his options. He could leave and search for his friends and possibly find Anya and Colt or he could get a bath and a hot meal and sleep in his nice warm bed and not have to wake up at the crack of dawn for any reason. Something he hadn't done in so long. He shrugged and went with the latter idea. He was getting sick and tired of smelling like a wet dog and he could thank Greyback for that.

He stayed in the hot bath for nearly a few hours. His eyes closed and his normally tangled hair was sleek and felt lighter. He couldn't remember the last time he bathed and the twigs, dirt and grime that somehow became stuck to his body floated in the bath with him. Chibs would've had a field day with it.

He relaxed in the water, closing his eyes and exhaling out his nose the scent was still surrounding his nostrils. He already had semi from the intoxicating bath. He wasn't going to get laid under his mum's roof so he thought of any image he could think of.

He thought of the first time he had fucked Anya after nearly six months of trying for her. He remembered walking home, smelling like her perfume and her pussy juices on his finger and face. He didn't understand why she made him take a bath before they fucked. He only got sweaty and dirty afterward. At least he was naked when he came out of the bath to see her just as naked and bare as he was, hiding behind a towel ready for her.

He ran his hand down his semi erect manhood and ducked his head under the warm, discolored water. He closed his eyes as he felt the soft tingle flow throughout his body.

_He placed her feet to the tip of his mouth and sucked on her big toe. She giggled and placed her other foot on his chest and slid it down his abdomen stopping right above his privates._

_"Are you even ready to go again?" she asked stretching her arms, her dark eyes never leaving his mouth. He looked down at his little soldier and looked back up at her._

_"He looks about ready."_

Small bubbles peaked from the corner of his mouth as he slid his hand up and down his cock as fast as his arms could handle it. He was so close to reaching his climax when he heard that dreaded voice.

"Sweetheart?"

"Shit." he said through the water and peaked his head above the bath. "Wot, mum?" he snapped.

"Are you alright? You've been in there for-"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yea'."

"What do you want for dinner?"

"I don' care."

"I can make you Swedish meatballs if you like, but right now I have chicken and-"

"T'at's fine."

"Are you sure-"

"Mum, I don' care wot ya make me."

"Alright, dear. You should come out of there soon though. Other people would like to use the bathroom too."

For a second he thought he heard Rooster mutter about needing to take a shit, but rationalized it was probably his imagination. He debated whether to take the time to get his chubby back just to spite Rooster, but he wasn't in the mood anymore.

_"Get up!" Anya said opening the curtain closest to his face with a flick of her wand. The sunlight shined in his eyes and woke him up immediately. _

_"Wot the 'ell, goofball?" he muttered turning his back towards the sun and ducking his head under the covers. _

_"Get up!" Anya said again, shoving her toe into the bones of his back trying to push him out of the bed._

_"Shut the fuckin' curtains, woman!" he said, throwing the pillow in her direction. _

_"Get your lazy ass up!" she yelled throwing the pillow back at him. "You need to go to the Ministry and ask for your job back." _

_"Right 'bout t'at," he muttered. "It's only Saturday." _

_"Cutter is working seven days a week. I need to sell my dresses to Mrs. Malfoy by twelve and I'm already behind on her ball gown. Money is tight now, get up and ask for a job!" _

_"Shut up, woman. I work all week and I get this shit on the weeke'd." _

_"You haven't worked in months! You pretend to be looking for a job, but what do you do? Get your damn monkey to pick pocket for you! We're not criminals Scabior." _

_He heard Chibs squeal in his hammock not too far from their bed. Little Baby barked at the monkey and Chibs squealed back. He jumped from his hammock and landed on the bed by Scabior. Little Baby stood in front of Anya and barked at Chibs. Anya picked up Little Baby and stroked down his fur._

_"I'll be so happy when they get used to each other. I wish you told me about Chibs." _

_"Well, now ya know. __'e's not just a pet. A dog is a pet, a monkey is our ancestors. 'aven't ya read a 'istory book?"_

_"I'm surprised you even know that!" _

_"I 'eard Melody talk 'bout it. I was 'alf listenin'." _

_"Well that's all well and fucking good, Scabior. The point is you're not getting a real job. You don't have to be Minister of Magic, but you have to stop letting Chibs do your dirty work." _

_"I wish you'd shut up."_

_Anya exhaled sharply through her nostrils. "See, you spend all our money on getting drunk or whatever the hell you do and not enough on eating. I'm starving, I don't even have enough money to make us breakfast." _

_"T'at's a good idea. Stop bitchin' at me and make me some fuckin' breakfast." _

_"How does this sound?" Anya said. "Make one more smart ass answer and you can sleep on the streets with the toms and the he/she's or even better become one." _

_"Fuck off." He said scratching behind Chibs's ear and trying to go back to sleep. Anya exhaled through her nostrils and from what he could hear he heard her gather clothes and other objects and open a window. He peaked his head from the covers to see her throwing his stuff out the window and into the street. He leapt out of bed so fast Chibs fell off the side and landed on the floor. _

_"Wot are ya doin'?" he exclaimed as she tossed his clothes out on the street. "Yer bloody fuckin' mental!" _

_"You don't work, you can get out!" Anya exclaimed tossing another handful of clothes out of the window. _

_Scabior pulled her hard by the arm away from the window. She tried to shove him back, but he was so much stronger than her. _

_"If I told ya once and once fuckin' only I don' like it when people touch my shit!" Scabior said tossing her on the bed and dashing out of the apartment to grab his things. It had barely been a minute when he already saw someone start to pick through his clothes. He pulled the smelly man by his collar and shoved him out the way. He grabbed his clothes by the armfuls, tucking them underneath his arm. His clothes were covered in mud and smelled like piss and spoiled whiskey. He ran up to the apartment and threw his clothes on the floor of the flat. Anya stood before him with her arms crossed and tapping her foot. Both Chibs and Little Baby looked up at them to watch the slaughter. _

_Scabior grabbed his white Weird Sisters t-shirt from the muddy pile. "Look at t'at!" he said shoving the item of clothing in her face. "Fuckin' ruined!" _

_"Not my problem!" _

_"Ya damn right it's yer fuckin' problem." _

_"Stop cursing at me!" _

_"I can do whatever I fuckin' feel like ya little fuckin' hell cat!" _

_"I've told you for months to find a job! I'm losing weight, Little Baby isn't eating right this is bullshit!" _

_"Wot the 'ell do ya want me to do? They're not 'iring-" _

_"You didn't even fucking try and you fucking know it!" _

_"Touch my things again, bitch." He warned, shoving a muddy finger in her face. "Touch my shit again and I'll crack yer fuckin' jaw!" _

_"Why wait!" Anya screamed. "Do it!" Scabior squeezed his hand tightly together, but forced his anger to cease. Instead he changed into the cleanest clothes he could find. He settled on his red and black stripped pants and a discolored white shirt and his clean dragon hide leather jacket. As he changed into his boots he could hear her taunting him even further. _

_"You're not going to do anything, you're all talk." _

_"Fine, I'm all talk!" Scabior said shoving on his last boot. "But when I come back and get this fuckin' job I want ya to smile and blow me! Make me my fuckin' dinner and blow me! Come on Chibs!" The monkey quickly leaped off the furniture and landed on his shoulder. "I don' feel like gettin' shit fer hittin' a woman." _

_"And don't come back till ya get that job!" She screamed at him as he walked down the stairs of the apartment and walked down the street. He saw the homeless wizard stare at him and he glared back at him. Chibs could sense his frustration and tugged on his ear. _

_"I'm not in the mood." He said to it. The monkey uttered noises and Scabior sighed. "I don' know. She's been all sorts of pissy and it's gettin' on my nerves." The monkey squealed. "Of course I'll buy ya a little whiskey. I know t'at was stressful fer ya. It's not easy seein' mum and dad fight." _

_As he walked down the street he looked for an easy sucker that kept his pouch in his back pocket or the outside of his robes. So far there was not a sucker in sight. On the street corner he could see a muddy reformer of the parts of Xenia. They always perched on the corners closests to the bars and brothels, making it their mission to get another born again on their side. _

_"He can help you and release you from your sins. All you have to do is give your soul to Him. Give your life for Him and He will show you the way." _

_Scabior tried to ignore him. It was the same old bull he had received when his mother would drag him to church when he was too young to refuse to go. Before he passed him he saw Wolfie and Ivory, as she pushed the baby carriage through the cobbled stone streets._

_Wolfie smiled at him and walked ahead of Ivory and waved to him. Scabior did his best to avoid Ivory's glances. _

_"Oi," Scabior said. "Wot brings ya 'ere?" _

_"…This is a house of sin, a house for the enemies of Him…" _

_"Taking Ivory and the kid out for some sunshine and fresh air, before I have to talk to Cutting-" _

_"Cutting? I thought we were going to go shopping!" Ivory interjected pushing the baby carriage in between the two men. _

_"Ivory-" _

_"No, don't Ivory me!" she said placing one hand on her hip and popping her neck side to side. _

_"…He can be your Light and Salvation through the times of great strife…" _

_"You said we were going to go shopping, Wolfgang! Stop lookin' at Scabior and look at me!" Wolfie turned to his wife and tried to pretend he cared, but the drained, unfeeling look took over most of his emotions. "I wanted to go shopping. Your child needs clothes, he needs more baby formula, he needs diapers and he needs more toys! I'm not doing this on my own- are you even listening to me?" _

_"Yes." Wolfie said, dully._

_"I have to deal with a hysterical child and all you do is drink, talk to Cutting, and scratch your balls! What 'bout my needs!" _

_"I'll only be a minute, Ivory." _

_"…Please He can help you. Let Him help you…" _

_"A minute Ivory my white bum!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. _

_Scabior had enough of his share of screaming. "Ivory, can ya please, please try not to be such a burden to everyone else?" _

_"Shut your fuckin' mouth!" Ivory said spinning on her heel and glaring at him. _

_Looking at her now he wished, he had never dated her. She was a beautiful girl. She had bright blue eyes with long wavy hair that reached to her bottom and a tiny figure. By the typical innocent look about her one would never suspect she was raised to be a fighter or even emasculate a man by her foul mouth and nasty attitude. They had gotten in so many fights because of her quick temper and irrational behavior. Once when she talked of marriage in their afterglow conversations and he refused to even humor the notion, she went into a rage and pushed him so hard against her window he cut his forehead. He still had the scar. _

_That was when he didn't hit women. _

_Chibs growled at her and curled his fist. Ivory glared at him, but quickly looked away. Scabior grinned when he knew what she was thinking. Chibs bit her hand so badly once she had to go to the hospital wing. _

_"Ivory, temper dear," He purred. "'ard to believe yer already cursin' in front of the li'le one." _

_"Fuck you." She snapped. _

_"Look," Wolfie said rubbing his temples. "Ivory it will only take a minute. I just have to tell Cutting-"_

_"I don't give a shit. Do what you fuckin' want." She put both of her hands on the handle of the carriage. "You're little spineless piece of amphibian shit." She pushed the carriage away and headed into the other section of town. _

_"Why didn' ya take my advice?" Scabior sighed. _

_"I know, I know." Wolfie said. "Sometimes she's just fine, other days you-"_

_"Contemplate murder?" Scabior said. "Yea' that describes my entire fifth year in one sentence. _

_"…He is so good to those who obey and listen…" _

_Scabior leaned close to him and said in a whisper. "We can always grind glass really fine and place it in 'er food." _

_"It's not worth it." Wolfie said. _

_For the first time in several minutes he noticed the muddy reformer preaching on the corner with his Book in one hand and the other waving wildly as if it was a desperate attempt to get someone's attention._

_"I never had the time for that." Wolfie said. _

_The muddy reformer turned to Scabior and cocked his head at him. He took a step closer and said. "Young man?" _

_"Wot?" Scabior asked. _

_"You looked troubled." _

_"I'm a bit 'acked off." _

_"No, my son." He said. "I'm sensing real trouble within you. Please my son, come to His house, accept the blood of Him and He can forgive you from all your transgressions." _

_Wolfie and Scabior turned to each other and let out a chuckle. Scabior reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. He lit it with the tip of his wand and exhaled a hot cloud of smoke. _

_"I appreciate the offer," he said taking another drag. "But my transgressions are all I got left." Scabior exhaled smoke in his direction. Wolfie chuckled and suddenly stopped. He felt Chibs tug on his hair and he turned in the direction. _

_A tall, lanky, greasy looking man dressed in a dark pants and a rolled up white shirt that stuck to his back from sweat looked at Scabior and Wolfie. His eyes darted toward the muddy reformer. _

_"Look at that, gents," he said in a voice just as greasy as his skin. "The mudbloods bring their drugs, their problems and worse off they bring their filthy religion. I know what my Christian Lord preaches." The man spat on the reformer and pulled out his wand. "Ya have till the count of three to get the hell out of here ya goddamn muddy bastard." The muddy reformer ran as quickly as he could around the corner and away from the man. "It's a shame no snake heads are around anymore." _

_"Yes sir, Mr. Cutting." Wolfie said with a nod. _

_Cutting looked at Wolfie then at Scabior, then back at Wolfie. "Are ya daft or rude, Wolf?" He asked. "Why aren't you introducing me to your friend." _

_"Oh," Wolfie said clearing his throat. "Mr. Cutting this is Scabior, Scabior Mr. Liam Cutting." _

_"Ya own the Butchers Pub." Scabior said, ignoring the warning tugs from Chibs on his ears. _

_"That I do." Cutting said, holding out his hand and Scabior shook it. His grip was firm and for a second Cutting stared at Scabior in the eye and Scabior stared back. His lips curled into a grin. _

_"Your friend can look me in the eye, Wolf."_

_"Sir?" Wolfie said. _

_"He can look at me in the eye, that's an admirable trait." Liam Cutting said. "You're probably very foolish or brave." Cutting snapped his fingers at Wolfie and motioned him over. "Let's go back to the pub. I could hear that wench of yours from a mile away, you might want to put a muzzle on that bitch." _

_Scabior grinned and Cutting nodded toward him and he nodded back. Scabior looked at Chibs and said. "Now, 'e's now wot 'e's doin'." _

_Chibs coughed and folded his arms. "Come on don' get sore." He said. "Let's go run by Cutter's. 'e might 'ave a apple fer ya." Chibs's ears perked up and barked. "Good boy." Scabior said. _

_The older man was in a hurry. He was always in a hurry. He quickly shut the door and rushed down the porch of his home and nearly run into Scabior. _

_"Damn it, kid!" Cutter exclaimed grabbing his chest like his heart was going to jump and run away. "I told ya not to sneak up on me like that." _

_"Sorry," Scabior shrugged. "I have to-" _

_"No time, kid. I'm already running like a headless chicken, trying to get to work. Whatever it is tell me after work." _

_"Ya don' understand. It's 'bout Anya. She nearly kicked me out of 'er place because I wouldn' get a job." _

_"Whose fault is that?" _

_"Mine, yea' I know." Scabior admitted. "But she didn' 'ave to throw my stuff out there in the mud and piss." _

_"Maybe so, but what the hell do ya need me for?" _

_"I have a favor to ask." Scabior said crossing his arms. _

_"Make it quick." _

_"I'm gonna look fer a job, but I was wonderin' if you'll give me some money-"_

_"Listen kid, I got five kids and an angry bitch on my arse. My oldest one needs a mandibular osteotomy or somethin'. I don't know what the fuck the is, but ya know I'm tapped out till the end of the month." _

_"Okay." Scabior said with a slow nod. _

_"Hey, I'm sorry kid." Cutter replied. _

_Scabior wasn't worried about a job, but he wanted to throw his accomplishment in Anya's face. He hated her being right and even more he hated admitting he was wrong. At least if he had some money he could lie about, but if he came home drunk and empty handed there would be hell to pay. Scabior turned around on his heel to walk away, ignoring the painful grumbles in his stomach and the lingering headache he had from smoking recycled cigarettes._

_"Hey," He heard Cutter's voice say. He turned around and raised his eyebrows. "Why don't ya talk to my cousin you know, Liam Cutting." _

_"Yeah we met 'im." _

_"Yeah, but ask Patty first, he'll know where he is. I'm sure Liam can hook you up with something. It'll keep the old lady at bay. Look kid, I don't know what yer problem is, but ya need to do whatever it takes, kid. Yer smart ya just don't know when to shut up and get off your lazy arse and get your shit done. Be a man. Grow a dick and take care of your business." _

_"Thanks fer the advice Cutter." Scabior said dryly. "'ave a nice day at work. Tell Lucius Malfoy I miss 'im." _

_"Bet he don't miss you." With that Cutter apparated with a loud pop. _

Scabior rummaged through his old closet trying to find something he could wear. He always was a skinny kid, no matter how much he ate. His mother tried to fatten him up on many occasions, but no matter what he ate he was always skin and bones. After Azkaban he never was able to gain the weight he lost, but to his relief the red and black stripped pants fit him almost perfectly. He couldn't remember why he stopped wearing them in the first place, they made his arse look great. He threw on a shirt and his dragon hide jacket and walked out of the house. He saw the rooster perched on top of the fence and it squawked at him, but Scabior ignored it. He ran his fingers through his silky conditioned hair. It felt like he didn't have hair, it was refreshing.

He apparated in front of the familiar little house and a wave of dread overcame him. It felt so bad he thought he was going to be sick on their yard. He shoved his feelings aside and walked up to the door and knocked on it. There was an empty sound of silence and a lot of muttering. After nearly a minute and a few knocks later an older woman with auburn hair and light eyes poked her head out.

"Yes?" she said.

"Andromeda-"

"Look," she said. "I already know the Holy One, I don't want cookies, and I'm not interested in your newspaper or your organization. I don't know anything about anything I'm just a house wife and mother trying to make it through this chaos now if you please-"

"Andromeda, it's me." Scabior said. She squinted at him and looked him up and down. "Azkaban changes ya, but I don' think I changed me t'at much."

Her eyes widened and she hesitated. "Erm," she said looking behind her. "Hello Scabior." She said hesitantly.

Scabior's enthusiasm for a tearful reunion from anyone from his past was quickly squashed, by the forced look of happiness on Andromeda's face.

"So, what do you want?" Andromeda asked. It was another smack to the groin for him.

"Nothin', I just wanted to say 'i."

"Oh, well hi." Andromeda said. "Sorry if I'm not in the best of moods."

"Why?"

"Why do you think?" Andromeda snapped. "I lost my husband and I have no idea where the hell my son-in-law is and here you are expecting a heroes welcome-"

"Mum," he heard Tonks say. Andromeda started breaking into tears as Tonks pulled her. His Dora's hair was mousy brown with spots of red, blue and purple. Her pregnant belly was poking from under her Weird Sisters shirt. "It's okay, just lay down."

Andromeda reluctantly went upstairs and Tonks motioned him inside. It was just as neat and tidy as he remembered it, only it was under different circumestances.

"Look," Scabior said. "I didn' mean-"

"Sssh." She said touching his lips with her finger. "I don't know. I don't want to know."

"Sorry." He said.

Tonks touched her stomach and chuckled dryly. Scabior raised his eyebrow. "Wot?"

"It's typical." She said. "We haven't seen each other in a few years and you're already apologizing for something."

"I am sorry 'bout Ted."

"Yeah, so am I."

"He was a good man, 'e didn' deserve t'at."

"Do you mean a good man in general or for a muggle born?" Tonks asked, she narrowed her eyes at him. Scabior shook his head.

"Can we not start this up again?"

"I think we can." Tonks said. "I know you made some mistakes, I'm not denying that, but I need to know where your loyalties lie. I need to get in that brain of yours." She took a few steps closer to him. He could almost feel her outstretched stomach touching the fabric of his pants.

"Wotever side pays more." He said leaning toward her. "And t'at's the most 'onest answer yer goin' to get."

"Typical you."

"Then why did ya bother askin'."

"I hoped Azkaban would beat a little sense into you. This is your second chance, you have a choice to join the right side."

"And do wot?" Scabior asked. "Defend the little four eyed fuck and his friends and risk the lives of my family?"

"No, how about a world without a maniac running the show? Think about your son!"

"I am." Scabior said.

"You're thinking about yourself. I'm doing this for Teddy, to make his future brighter and if it takes my life then so be it."

"Fine, t'at's yer choice." Scabior said, getting frustrated with everyone arguing with him and pushing him towards their gilded way of living that would kill them.

"I wish you would join us Scabior." Tonks said. "You're smart you can think beyond the box."

"Yea'," Scabior said. "But I'm not gonna 'ave my son raised in a world where muggle borns run 'round like savage little animals."

"Oh no!" Tonks exclaimed. "We're bringing up what happened to Anya? You've let that Cutting guy talk through you from beyond the grave.

"Yes!"

"You've let four or five kids actions warp your view on everyone."

"I didn' tell 'em to rape 'er did I?"

"You're a bloody hypocrite." Tonks said, she hunched her back and made her voice higher. "I'm Scabior and I can do whatever the bloody hell I want, like I don't pronounce my h's or bathe on a daily basis, but if you fuckin' mudbloods do such a thing I'll kill you." she said to mock him.

"I don' act like t'at." Scabior said trying not to laugh at how ridiculous she looked. "Anya's rape is much more serious than t'at."

"I know, but the point is you live your life by contradictions. It's only bad unless you do it. You've been that way your whole life."

"Yea'." Scabior said.

"Have you seen them?" she asked, her voice softening.

"No." Scabior replied.

"Why?"

"Can't find em."

"Oh."

"I talked to mum too."

"About?"

Scabior wasn't sure if she was aware of the secret in their family, but then again what if she didn't know herself. It wasn't like she mentioned it or even protested against their shack shaking fling. When he thought about it he felt sickened, but only a little. He had bigger fish to fry.

"Oh, just 'bout Colt." Scabior lied.

"You should teach him Quidditch." She said. "You were a pretty good Beater."

"Yea' I will." Scabior said. "Don't teach Teddy anything. He'd probably be as clumsy as ya are." She chuckled and slapped his arm. Scabior grinned and looked outside.

"I've got to go." He said.

"Are you coming back soon?" Tonks asked, running her hands through her brown hair.

"Maybe." Scabior said. "Just be careful, kid."

"Yeah you too."

Scabior held out his arms to her and she fell into them. She hugged him as tightly as she could despite the size of her belly. He hugged her back and ran his hands through her hair. She looked up at him and lingered for a few seconds. Scabior leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"Are you happy?" she asked him.

"No." he said. "I got too many demons for 'appiness. They'll always be there."

"You should be happy."

"What do I 'ave to be 'appy 'bout?"

"People love you-"

"I'm not gonna kill myself. Not till I 'ave a reason to off myself."

"I want you to be happy like I am happy." Tonks said. "Remus, Teddy, mum and I are going to be a big happy family so I'm happy-"

"Uh huh." He said quicker than he anticipated.

"I want the same for you."

"Yea'." Scabior said. "Maybe one day."

"Bye, Scabior." She said.

He reached out to her and pinched her cheek between his fingers. "Bye, Dora." He said quickly leaving the house.

For what the reason may be he looked behind himself to see Tonks still staring at him, with one hand resting on her protruding belly, while the other lazily waved bye to him. Her big eyes were teary and remained fixed upon him. He did love her, he always will. He was one of the few women he could rely on, but instead of the love he used to feel had been replaced with the love only a brother could have for his sister. She was his niece after all, now he knew. He couldn't tell her, not right now. It would be too much.

He walked back to the house with his head hanging to his chest. He wasn't sad or couldn't really feel anything. He wasn't sure about his emotions, he could barely even think. He opened the door of his home slowly and closed it quietly. Even though it was late in the afternoon he assumed Capucine would be still sleeping. She had been downstairs cleaning and cooking the previous night. He heard Rooster's gruff voice first as he entered the long hallway.

"He's out." He heard Rooster say.

"Good." Capucine voice came. Her voice sounded weary and quiet.

"You didn't tell him, did you?"

_Tell me what?_ "No. I didn't. He doesn't know."

"Good. I know what he is. He acts like I don't know-"

"He acts like everyone doesn't know. I told him, I'm old, but I'm not dumb. I know what he is."

"And that's why you can't tell him."

"But he wouldn't hurt her! I know he wouldn't."

"How can you be sure."

"I raised him better than that, that's why. Why would he risk their lives for the sake of a galleon?"

"Ya just answered your own question, Capucine. For the sake of a gallon. The boy is greedy, always have been. That's why he got involved with Cutting. Don't look at me like that Capucine you know he did. I don't know what Cutting put in his head- No, I do know what Cutting put in his head. All this pureblood mania and he's not even a pureblood. He only sees the world through money and you know it. I don't trust him."

"He's my son. He wouldn't hurt me or Anya."

"Would he? I mean if your name was on his fuckin' list do you think he wouldn't turn you in?"

"No, I don't think he would."_ Hell no I wouldn't._

"How can you be so sure? I'm getting nervous because of my blood status, dear. I can't help it, I don't trust him." _Well, I would be tempted to hand you over to the Ministry_.

"Trust him for me." Capucine said. She sniffed like she was going to cry. "He knows what he's doing."

"Whose side is he on anyway."

"His side."

"And that only proves my theory, Capucine! He would hand them over in a heartbeat. He cannot be trusted!"

"Yes he can!"

"You told him didn't you? You told him where she was!"

'No I didn't! Anya told me that if he happens to come around and he wasn't on our side that she didn't want him to come around. I respected her wishes, but he has a right-"

"He has no right!"

"Rooster!"

"Listen to me Capucine, just hear me out. He hasn't even tried to look for his kid or Anya. I don't trust a man that wouldn't search for his kid. He's an escaped convict-"

"He's our son."

"He's your son. I wouldn't raise my child to believe in this pureblood bullshit-"

"He is our son! He may not be your own flesh and blood, but I didn't raise him that way! If you hadn't kicked him out then he would be totally different."

"Oh yeah? What would he be doing? He wouldn't get a job and be sitting on his fucking ass all goddamn day, you should've made him get a job!"

"He's my son I know what's best!"

"Now he's your son!"

"You know what I mean Rooster, but I knew what I was doing!"

"Well there's no use in cryin' over spilled milk. I'm worried about Colt. I don't think Colt should even see him or even know his name!"

"He's my grandson! The same blood that runs through Colt's veins, runs through his, he has a right! He's a father-"

"He's a criminal- Yes, Capucine I said it he's a criminal. I know what red sleeves do, he probably killed Ted!" _I did not! I did everything I could!_

"You don't know that!"

"Oh yeah? A werewolf was with Ted and what does the boy smell like? Wet dog, must've been Greyback."

"Oh now you're just being paranoid."

"I'm connecting the fucking dots Capucine!"

"No you're being paranoid!"

"I do not want to endanger Colt, Anya and Ivory, plus her kids. We're putting all their heads on the line!"

"Lower your voice, Rooster!"

"Now I'm angry. We're offering him food and shelter and he's a criminal-"

"He's my child! Wouldn't you do the same for Melody?"

"No! Not if she was running amuck with no regard for human life, especially the life of her family. I would throw her out on the street-"

"Well, then I guess that makes you the better person, doesn't it Rooster? He may be everything you say he is, but he's still my child. I cannot kick out my own child!"

"That's why he always comes to you. He knows you'd do anything for him and he's going to use that against you."

"He will not!"

"Watch! Liam fuckin' Cutting is livin' through him and he'll fall like Cutting!"

"No-"

'Yes! Yes he will!"

"My baby does not deserve to die!"

"I did not say he deserves to die!"

"You're acting like it! He served his time-"

"Bullshit! He got a lifetime and he deserves to stay a lifetime!"

"I cannot believe you're saying that!"

"He killed a man! He didn't steal a goddamn chocolate frog! He killed a Auror at that!"

"He said he didn't kill him!"

"That's what they all say!"

"Rooster!"

"Don't Rooster me, it's fact. When are you going to open your eyes?" Scabior heard Capucine push her chair back and paced around the room. "You cannot tell him Anya is with Ivory, please Capucine. If you care about your daughter-in-law and your grandson, you won't tell him."

_"Fuckin' Bingo!" _

Capucine sighed and sniffled again. He wasn't sure what her reaction was, but he didn't hear them argue anymore so she must've agreed. Before he heard Rooster's heavy boots walk toward him he slowly backed up to the front door, opened it and closed loud enough for them to hear. He stuffed his hands in his pocket and pretended like he didn't hear a word they said. He peaked his head and smiled. Capucine leaned against one of the dining room chairs with a cigarette in between her thin fingers and Rooster barely acknowledge him. Instead he walked out the front door, brushing hard against Scabior's shoulder. Capucine smiled weakly. She looked like she hadn't slept a wink in days.

"Hey mum." he said.

"Hey baby," she said taking another drag from her cigarette. Her eyes were red and puffy. "Are you hungry?"

"No. Not really."

"Okay." she said, finishing her cigarette and putting it out on the ash tray. She reached into her pack to get another one when she sighed. "I'm out." she sighed gripping the empty container. Scabior shrugged.

"I'll get ya a few packs."

"No baby, it's fine. I'll get some in the morning."

"No it's okay." Scabior smiled. "My treat."

Capcuine half smiled and nodded. "Oh, alright, but go straight there and back. Death Eaters run rampant on Saturdays."

"I'll be careful, but ya should really slow down on those, mum."

"I know." Capucine said. "Be quick, please."

"I will." he said apparating to the corner store. He opened the door of the store and a bell rang. The man that used to run behind the counter when he was young he's known ever since Capucine had taken up smoking when his older brother passed away, but the man acted like he'd never seen him before. The heavyset man with bushy white hair, furrowed his hairy white eyebrows like he was trying to place him, but nodded toward him. Scabior nodded back as he looked through the store. He wasn't looking for anything in particular except maybe a bottle of firewhiskey, but he couldn't bear to stay in the house. He liked being gone most of the time rather than staying in one place. This got him in many fights with the women in his life.

As he went through the aisle picking and choosing the perfect bottle of aged whiskey he looked from the corner of his eye. Through the blurry windowed door he saw the old shop where Charlie's mum used to have her own food emporium. Every Sunday she used to drop off a mutton pie to Liam Cutting in order to keep the 'fuck up' Charlie in Cutting's good graces. He greatly enjoyed them which is why he probably kept Charlie around.

His thought was interrupted when he saw a burly man with brown hair down to his shoulders walk through the door. Scabior squinted to get a good look at the man, but he had no such luck in making out his features. He grabbed a pint of firewhiskey and walked up to the counter. The man was taller than he was by a couple inches. Then it hit him like a smack to the face. It was in fact Rodolphus Lestrange. He knew of all the Death Eaters and more important what they were notorious for. He had heard Rodolphus was even tempered unlike his wife, but just as dangerous. Scabior wasn't sure if he knew about the scuffle at Malfoy Manor, but he couldn't risk getting killed over it, not today.

He thought of backing away, but when the counterman (whose name he never bothered to learn) spotted him he said in a light voice. "Are you ready to checkout?"

"Get in line." Rodolphus spat as he forced himself past him. Scabior normally would raise hell and stare him in the eye whilst doing so, but with Rodolphus he didn't want to risk it. He walked backwards and kept his eyes down on his bottle of firewhiskey. Rodolphus leaned forward causing the older man behind the counter to shake. "I'll have the _Diablo_ cigars."

"Wh-which kind?"

"Let me see the red ones." he said.

The older man nearly tripped as he walked to pick up red boxed brand of cigars. Rodolphus leaned closer causing the older man to jump yet again. He heard him chuckle and motioned him to come closer. "Come on, closer." The older man walked a bit closer to him and Rodolphus motioned him more. "Closer, I ain't gonna bite." The older man stepped a little closer to him. Rodolphus let out a exasperated sigh and grabbed the cigars from the old mans hand and examined them. He scoffed and placed the cigars in the pocket of his robes.

"Not my favorite," he said. "But I suppose it will do." He put his fingers to his chin and scratched his beard. Scabior let a groan escape from his lips and his stomach did a cartwheel. Rodolphus turned around slightly so Scabior could see one brown eye peer at him.

"Am I disturbing you?" Rodolphus asked him. Scabior kept his face down and shook his head. Rodolphus seemed satisfied with his answer and turned back around. "Give me a packet of each _Diablo_ cigars, old man." he said.

With barely any hesitation the old man grabbed the cigar packets and stacked them up on the counter. Rodolphus took one lone cigar out of a orange packet, placed it to his lips and lit it with the tip of his wand. The old man opened his mouth as if to say something, but quickly closed it. Scabior noticed from the corner of his eye the "No Smoking" sign in the front window. Rodolphus tucked the packets into the pockets of his robes and nodded to the old man.

"It's al-always a pleasure." the old man said. Rodolphus didn't say a word as he walked backwards out of the line. He blew smoke rings into the old mans face and waited for Scabior to take his place in line. When Scabior walked two steps ahead he felt a small smack of pressure hit his forehead. Without thinking he spun around on his heel, looking at the Death Eater and holding the whiskey bottle out in front of him.

"Hey!" Scabior said as he looked into the gaunt, but still handsome face of the notorious Death Eater. Rodolphus held his hands out in surrender, his brown eyes wide and a grin on his face. Scabior slowly placed the firewhiskey bottle back to his side.

"Just wanted to see your face." he said, through a chuckle. "No harm intended." He let out another snicker as he shoved the door open and walked out of the shop. Scabior placed the firewhiskey bottle on the counter and said in a mutter.

"Can I have three packs of _Vines_ and- hell, two packs of double mint _Croons_." The older man took the packs of cigarettes and placed them on the counter. He moved the packs toward him, but didn't ring them up.

"Take 'em." he said in a shaky voice. "Please." He let out a sigh and put his hand down his face. "I'm sorry ya had to see that, son. I hate that man."

"A lot of people do." Scabior said taking the cigarettes and whiskey. " 'ave a nice day."

"You too son."

_Scabior never knew Liam Cutting personally, but he heard tales from Rooster of how callous he could be sometimes. As the pub's title implied he was a butcher. One of the few pure blooded wizards left and he hated mudbloods more than anything in the wizarding world, but he hired them. He treated them cruelly and often humiliated them in front of the pubs patrons, but he hired them anyway and worked them hard. Rooster told him stories of several mudblood and muggle hunts he would organize and he had made many enemies he made of it. _

_"Where is Liam Cutting?" Scabior asked Patty, keeping his casual cool tone. _

_"'Bout upstairs, I reckon." He said. "I think he's carvin' meat so be careful. Make sure ya knock three times first or he won't trust ya." _

_Scabior nodded and placed Chibs on one of the pub stools. Chibs tried to make his way back up on Scabior's shoulders, but he placed him down. _

_"No." he said to Chibs. "I 'ave to do this on me own. Ya understand?" _

_Chibs made soft noises like a grumble and Scabior grinned. He leaned to Patty and said; _

_"Give 'im some nuts and a li'le gin." _

_Chibs's ears perked up and his head spun around. McGee looked at the monkey the back at Scabior. _

_"Erm, why?"_

_"'Cause 'e like gin and nuts. So give 'im some." He placed a galleon on the pub table and pointed at Chibs to stay there. When he watched the tiny monkey take a nut and start eating it he walked to the back of the pub and made his way up the creaky wood stairs and heard a sharp sound of flesh ripping open followed by the slimy flop of organs hitting the wood floor. Scabior knocked firmly on the door three times like Patty said and waited for a reply. _

_"What?" he asked in a harsh voice say. _

_"'Cuse me sir, but McGee sent me up 'ere to talk to ya 'bout a job." _

_"What's your name?" _

_"Scabior, sir. We met earlier this evenin'." _

_There was silence between them for several seconds, till Scabior heard the sound of heavy boots walking toward the door wood door and the sound of the heavy lock turning. He was welcomed to the smell of whiskey, tobacco and meat. Liam Cutting had a pipe half way hanging out of his mouth. He blew hot smoke into Scabior's face, but the younger man didn't dare blink. _

_"I seen you before." Cutting said, placing the pipe back in his mouth and chewing on the tip. "What did you say your name was again?" _

_"Scabior sir. Scabior Molyneux." _

_"French last name, are you French?" _

_"On me lovely mum's side." Scabior said with a smirk. Cutting nodded, and opened the door far enough for Scabior to step in, but Scabior didn't move. This was his first test, he couldn't move till the greasy man said so. His smile reached from ear to ear. _

_"Come inside." He replied walking back into his office first, just far enough to give Scabior some room and a view of the office._

_Scabior looked around his office. Papers were strewned on the desk next to a bottle of fire whiskey and several other pipes, all in different shapes and sizes. Adjacent to his desk was a door propped open and he could see a dead pig hung by its heels with it's guts hanging half way out of it's stomach and a bucket filled to the brim with blood and other messy organs. _

_"That's close enough." Cutting said catching Scabior's attention. Cutting placed his pipe back in his mouth and sat down on his chair, his pipe on the corner of his mouth. Cutting stared at the boy, and Scabior stared back his hands behind his back and his chin up. After many moments Cutting grinned showing off his blackened gums and yellow teeth. _

_"Now I remember you." He said using the tip of his pipe to point to him. "You were the lad that could look me in the eye, without hesitation." _

_Scabior wasn't sure how to reply so he remained quiet but kept his eye on Cutting. _

_"What's your experience boy?" he asked. _

_"Experience, erm-sir?" he asked. _

_"You know what I mean. Is your head filled with lead? What jobs have you worked?" _

_"The Ministry, sir." He said. _

_"Ah, you worked in the Ministry, eh?" Cutting asked with his eyebrows raised, as if he was almost impressed. "Under what position?" _

_"Cleanin' staff." Scabior muttered._

_"Speak up boy." _

_"Cleanin' staff, sir." Scabior said sharply. Cutting's greasy grin widened and he chuckled. _

_"Oh you got some sort of fire in you, boy. I'm not sure if I like it yet. Are you a mudblood?" he asked him quite abruptly. _

_"No sir." _

_"Are you married?"_

_"No sir." _

_"Do you have any little bastards running around that would most certainly require a mass amount of my time and your galleon?" _

_"No sir, not that I know of." _

_"Do you suck dicks?" _

_Scabior frowned at the abrupt question and tried his best to suppress a laugh. _

_"No sir." He said through a chuckle. _

_"Am I going to have to call that bullshit?" _

_"No, sir" Scabior replied._

_"Then why did you laugh?" _

_"I don' know." _

_"Bullshit, I think you do suck dicks." _

_"I don' sir." _

_"You don't? Well, that's a start, then why did you laugh?" _

_"It was a blunt question sir. I was taken off guard." _

_Cutting chuckled and licked his dry cracked lips. "I have to be blunt er—what's your name?" _

_"Scabior." _

_"Yes. I allow very few scum to waste my time. That means I don't like prancers, hell cats, jigs, pancake faces and especially mudbloods, to take up my time and I like to get to know the man I'm talking to and to me a man is only as good as his word. I assume you're here for a job, so I'll cut to the chase. I need a boy to cut the meat, work the bars, clean up around here and they better have a strong stomach." _

_"Yes sir." _

_"Good. I hire very few mudbloods over the years, like ol' Patty. My mick cousin by marriage Cutter, had me hire a few of them. He's a good boy though Cutter and Patty. Cutter has a bit of sympathy for the mudblooded Irish bog bastards, but he's family. All other mudbloods and prancers- they're filthy, I don't like 'em and if someone is going to work under me, they can't have their head up their arses. Do I make myself clear?" _

_"Yes sir." _

_"I don't care if you're mixed up, but you can't be any of those other things." He took out his knife from his holster and pointed it at him. "However mark my words boy, if I find out you've been lying, I'll cut your pretty little face from ear to ear. I'll make you rue the day your mummy let you crawl out of her filth, you understand boy?" _

_"Yes sir," Scabior said in a nod. He shoved aside any hostility for the mention of his mother and kept a straight face. He couldn't allow himself to lose control and become angry. "But since I 'ave nothin' to 'ide then I 'ave nothin' to fear." _

_Cutting nodded and placed the pipe back in his mouth. "You have a strong spirit." He said, exhaling smoke. "I like ya Scabior." He replied. "Remind me if you ever come into my home, you're free to fuck my sister." _

_"I'll take note of that." Scabior grinned. _

_"What's a proper wage for you?" Cutting asked taking out a roll of parchment from his desk and dunking his quill pen in ink. He scribbled a few words down and looked up at him. _

_Scabior thought for a moment. He hadn't considered it much before Cutting asked. Everything he chose seemed too much or too little. _

_"Ten galleons per hour." Scabior said thinking of the first wage to come to his mind. _

_"Bullshit. You'll accept twenty sickles per hour. If you come into my good graces you can expect a better wage. That's not up for discussion. You're under my thumb till I tell you otherwise, understand?" _

_"Yes sir." Scabior said._

_"You'll come in at seven at night till seven in the morning. If you're a minute late I'll hang you by your thumbs, understand?" Cutting signed the parchment, rolled it up and handed it to him. _

_"Yes sir." Scabior said, taking the parchment. _

_"Alright, now out of my sight. The first and last thing out of your mouth better be sir when you get here." Scabior nodded and made his way out the room. He made his way down the stairs and saw Chibs passed out on the pub table. His tiny body curled and his chest rising and falling. The shot glass that contained his gin had tipped over and soaked his fur. _

_Scabior picked him up and placed his ear to his chest. He heard his tiny beating heart and sighed with relief. _

_"Poor bugger." He said, placing him over his shoulder and nodding at Patty as he left. A large grin was placed on his face as he walked back to the flat. _

_He opened the door and heard Little Baby scurry over to him. She pawed at his legs and he petted her head. Anya was sitting on the bed her nose in the Daily Prophet and her toes curling and uncurling as he approached closer to the bed. He put Chibs in his hammock. He threw off his jacket and unbuttoned his pants and unzipped himself. Anya slowly removed the Prophet from her face to see his head near her face. _

_"What the-"_

_"We agreed if I got a job ya would blow me. I got a job, now I get blown." _

_Anya pushed his thigh away from her. "Oh yeah?" she said. "I need proof." _

_Scabior pulled the parchment from his back pocket and showed it to her. She snatched it and read it over. "Cutting?" she asked. _

_"Yep, Liam Cutting is lettin' me work in 'is bar at night. I start tomorrow."_

_"I heard he's so mean and nasty." Anya said scrunching her nose. "I don't like this at all." _

_"'e's not pleasant, but now ya still owe me somethin'." Scabior said pointing to his tallywacker. Anya tossed the Daily Prophet to the side and propped herself on her knees. A large grin was placed on their faces as she took in all of him. _


	6. The Deadin'

_A long wait. I know, I'm sorry. I had to rewrite it to fit with the ending of Deathly Hallows. I hope you enjoy. _

_This chapter is dedicated to jeskuhh2jake who inspired me to keep going with this story. _

_I hope you enjoy. Don't forget to review!_

_-Val_

* * *

Scabior shuffled through the old boxes in the attic. His mother was a packrat when it came to holding onto anything her children touched, looked at, wore or drooled on. A few of the objects he remembered, such as the blue blanket he used to carry around with him and the old toy wands he used to have. He twirled it in between his fingers and flicked it several times. A shower of sparks fell from the tip of the wand and dissipated onto the ground. The oak body and silver handle used to seem so big within his tiny hands as a child. He placed it back in the box and thumbed through old photographs of his mother and Rooster when they first met, Felicity and himself when they were young and got along. He paused momentarily on a picture of his deceased elder brother Victor. Scabior flinched when he saw how skinny his burly brother had gotten well into his disease. Victor lay in bed with a smile on his face and Scabior was at the foot of his bed, putting on a sock puppet show.

He tossed the photo aside as the provoked memories and emotions that came along with it because to tug at the inner workings of his stomach. He sighed and stood up from squatting amongst the boxes and dust and made his way to the staircase when a white box hidden under old curtains caught his eye. He felt like he should've ignored it, but he walked toward it. He shoved the dusty curtains off the box. A cloud of dust flew into his nose. He coughed and turned away, sneezing into the open air.

"Damn it." He cursed, looking into the box. On the front it read "_Cygnus's Photographs, Journals etc._"

Scabior immediately dug into the box further. He scanned through old pictures of him as a young man. He was tall, slim, but not lanky and he bore the typical Black family features he had seen Bellatrix have. The more he scanned the photograph of him at twenty-one, he began to see his features on him. The dark hair, thin lips, strong nose and prominent cheek bones. He placed the picture in his dragon hide jacket pocket and continued to search through the box.

Another photograph was of Cygnus holding a small baby. A happy smile was on his face and a younger version of his mother admired the two together. He smiled at the photograph and read the caption underneath read: "Cygnus and Scabior. Dec. 1972." He pocketed the photo as well. The photographs were more interesting than the next. A worn brown leather brown book caught his attention. He picked up the book and read the first page.

"This journal I personally dedicate to my children, my oldest Bellatrix, my independent Andromeda and my youngest children Narcissa and Scabior. I can only hope they never know the hard troubles their father has seen and endured throughout his own life time." He ran his finger down the worn parchment. He longed to know what he had done. What could this dead man offer him? He turned the first page of the book when his mother's voice cut his concentration.

"Sweetheart, are you ready to leave?"

"I'm comin', mum." He shoved the notebook into his pocket and placed the box back as it was with dusty curtains and all. He walked down the stairs, flicking the lights off. Capucine was waiting for him at the bottom of the steps. She had her hands placed within the other and beamed up at him.

"Are you sure you're not hungry?" Capucine said, fixing the collar of his shirt and jacket.

"Yes. I already told you I ate." Scabior said.

"You only had a slice of toast. I can make you something if you need me to. You like pancakes a lot. I'll make you some pancakes." Capucine turned around to go back into the kitchen, but Scabior grabbed her by her arm and held her still.

"Mum, I'm not hungry."

"You're too skinny anyway, baby." She said, poking at his ribs through his jacket several times before he swatted her hand.

"Stop t'at." He said.

"You're too pale darling," She touched his face. "You need some orange juice. You don't want to have scurvy, do you?"

"Mum-"

"I can't help it ever since you got out of—- well you know, you've been skin and bones. I want you to be healthy." He opened his mouth to say something, but she shook her head. "I know, I know. You were always a skinny lad. My mum and your Nana used to think I was starving you, but I had to remind her you were just naturally skinny, just like your father." She touched his cheek and soothed down a cow lick in his hair.

"Really?" he said raising an eyebrow. Capucine smiled and a lone tear rolled down her face.

"See, you remind me so much like him. That facial expression just reminds me of him. I wish he could've lived to see you become a man."

"Yea' I guess. Well I've got to-"

"Where are you going?"

"To meet Wolfie-"

"He's a red sleeve too?" She scoffed. "I should've known. That boy never did have a mind of his own, but how can you blame him knowing how his parents were. He was like a puppy dog. He wants to follow you everywhere you go."

"I guess, but mum-"

"Can't you stay a little longer? I haven't seen you in four years and now you pop out of the great blue sky and you're leaving again."

"I'll come back."

"When?"

"I don' know mum!"

"Alright, alright. You're so temperamental, just like your Aunt Violet."

"Yer makin' my 'ead spin mum."

"Sorry, I'll let you go."

"Thank you."

"Give me a hug." Capucine said holding her arms out to him. Scabior sighed and looked at the clock. He walked into her hug and bent down to hug the smaller woman. She practically squeezed his ribs and rubbed his back, but as soon as he tried to separate her arms still held firm.

"Mum," he said. "I gotta go."

He heard her sniff a few times and he sighed. He hated when his mum cried. It made him feel guilty, but also it was irritating. She would cry at everything, his birthdays, Christmas's, him getting his letter into Hogwarts, when he left for Hogwarts (every year), his graduation, his wedding and the birth of his son. He would do everything he could do to actively avoid him being the shoulder that she needed to cry on. One time he even went as far as to crawl out his bedroom window.

"Alright, mum." He said practically ripping himself from her. She looked up at him with tears rolling down her cheeks and her lips trembling.

"I love you." She said. "Please be safe."

"I-" he stopped and cleared his throat and said so quickly the words seemed to blend into one. "I-love-you-too."

"What did you say?" she said.

He sighed and said. "I love you too, mum."

She stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek three or four times. "My precious little angel." She said, taking a step back.

"I'll come back, mum." He said. "If it'll make ya feel better I'll come back every so often."

"It's bad enough I have to worry about you, Colt and Anya, but I have to worry about everyone else, including Rooster."

"Ya don' 'ave to worry 'bout me. I'll be fine."

Capucine looked anything but confident in him, but despite her skepticism she nodded her head. He blew her one last kiss and she caught it and held it to her chest and with that he apparated to the streets of London.

It had to have been at least lunch time. He could smell food cooking and several muggles scrambling inside the eateries. He walked up the street, pushing against traffic, and ignoring their mutters and rude remarks about his impolite behavior. He was glad they didn't he didn't feel like hexing anyone and he didn't need anything else distracting him. He stepped through the doors of the mens bathroom, shoved his newly polished boots into the toilet and pulled the lever. He felt a sudden jolt of pressure like he was being hooked from his belly button and pulled through the pipes and arrived at the Ministry through green flames.

He walked through the hectic Ministry, not minding anyone in his way. He shoved his hands in the pocket of his plaid pants, trying to stretch them out as best as he could. He felt so clean, in fact too clean. The air blew softly into his face and he could even still smell his mother's shampoo clinging onto his strands. His hair lay down on his neck still sleek and smooth. He was going to tie his hair back, to get it off of the nape of his neck, but he was too lazy to raise his arms to do so.

He stepped onto the elevator and held onto the "oh shits grip" as he called it and waited for the woman's voice to say;

"Level Two: Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

To no one in particular he said; "This is me," and made his way down the hall to the Snatcher's office. He spotted a rough looking man with blonde hair that was slicked back and tied in a braid. He nodded politely.

"Afternoon Yaxley." Scabior said.

"Ah, there ya are." Yaxley said stopping with his arms behind his back. "Ms. Rosewood has been looking for you."

"Oh, I'm in trouble with the Small One?"

"Say those words to her and see what happens." He smiled slightly which seemed unnatural for his face.

"Well, thanks." Scabior said taking in a good breath and making his way down the hall. He walked up to a dark black door that read "Lorena Rosewood" in the center of the murky glass. He could already hear her yelling at someone at the top of her lungs.

"NO! NO! NO! You don't think we need anymore muggles suspicious! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF HAVING TO OBLIVATE MUGGLES LEFT FROM RIGHT! You-You Oh ho ho ho! You! You're making my head fucking numb…"

"Great." Scabior said out loud. "It's going to be a shouting match with her."

He sat down in the chair closest to the door and leaned his back against the wall and started using his hands to drum on his knees. It was just something to pass the time in the empty hallway.

"Can you stop doing that?" _Anya said, looking at him from the corner of her eye. _

"_Why?" he asked drumming harder and leaning close to her face. She fanned the smoke coming from his cigarette. The cigarette holder hung from the corner of his mouth as they waited for the play to start. Scabior bought himself a new black suit with a red shirt that was only button a quarter-way buttoned and a top hat and walking stick to go along with it. He bought Anya a black and white horizontal striped dress. Her fiery red hair was pulled up, with several loose strands hung around her neck. _

"_It's getting on my nerves."_

_They sat in the same row as Liam Cutting and some random harlot. Cutting knocked Scabior in the arm with his elbow and leaned toward him. _

"_Scabior?" she said. _

"_What?" _

"_I know it's an off time to tell you, but I think I'm-" _

"_You're looking pretty spiffy, son." Cutting interrupted. Scabior nodded with a forced smile on his face. Cutting was wearing a crimson red over jacket, with gray pants and a plaid shirt. _

"_Yes, you too, sir." _

"_Sir?" _

"_Sorry, godfather." Scabior said._

_Cutting nodded and put a cigar in his mouth. The lights of the packed theater were dimmed to a certain point, when Scabior turned back to Anya. She looked highly annoyed and bored with the same expression. _

"_What?" he asked her. _

"_Did we have to go with Cutting?" she whispered. Scabior checked to see if Cutting had heard, but he was too busy talking to the cheap whore wearing too much make up. _

"_We'll talk 'bout it later." He said. _

"_I don't want to talk about it later, I want to talk about it now." _

"_Too fuckin' bad." _

"_I'm sick of this whole mudblood this, mudblood that debates." _

"_Sssh." He hushed her. _

"_Don't shush me-OW." She said before he gripped the inner part of her thigh so hard she nearly squealed in pain. He leaned close to her ear and said; "I'm sorry darlin', did I disrupt yer concentration? Go on, dear." _

_Anya tried to hide behind a mask of indifference the more he squeezed her thigh. He couldn't let her mouth off in front of Cutting. He wasn't going to let Liam Cutting hurt her, also he couldn't stand her mouth and he was tired of her ungrateful attitude. She shook her head in response and a tear slid down her cheek. _

"_Oh so ya were finished?" _

_She nodded her head._

"_Oh good. Now shut it." He said separating from her, but didn't let go of her thigh. She slithered her hand on top of his and slowly his fingers loosened. She stared straight forward and the lights blackened and the light on top of a skinny woman brightened. She had a pretty face, but she was too short for Scabior's taste, she had to have been at least five foot flat._

"_She's a fucking mudblood." Cutting said using his cigar to point at her. "But the little gash can sing." _

"_Really?" Scabior asked. _

"_Yep, just watch." _

"_She's a pretty little thing, but if ya touch 'em, your prick might fall off." Cutting and Scabior shared a laugh, while Anya simply muttered under her breath and massaged her sore thigh._

"There you fucking are!" Scabior said his head turning to see Lorena Rosewood staring at him. She had a scowl on her face and her kohl rimmed heavy blue eyes stared down at him. She cut her hair again to a short boy cut except for the side bang that was now at her shoulders. To Scabior the short haircut made her head look smaller than her already boney body. Her cigarette hung from the corner of red mouth.

"'ello to ya too Small-err- Ms. Rosewood."

"Come in here!" She stomped back into her office and sat down at her desk. Parchment were floating from one end of the room to the other and put into files and the file case closed only to be open again. There was nothing on her desk, but her wand, several long pieces of parchment, an ash tray and two pictures that faced her. Scabior turned them around and saw two boys on either side of her. Ironically this was the only time he saw her smile as she turned to kiss both of them on the cheek. The oldest one couldn't have been more than five while the youngest looked around three. She snatched the frame back and placed it on her desk.

"Where the hell have you been?" she asked.

Scabior shrugged. "At me mums."

"_At me mums_." She mimicked. "You had the rest of your team out there jerking their cannoli's while you had your mummy's special brownies!"

"And they were damn good."

She exhaled heavily through her nose and clenched her fist so hard he heard her knuckles crack. Scabior put his feet up on her desk and she shoved them back so hard he nearly lost his balance off the chair.

"If ya wan' to fight Ducky lets go."

"Don't call me Ducky!"

"_Quack, quack_." Scabior said through a grin. Before she could pick up her wand he raised his hands in surrender. "T'at's my last joke I swear."

Scabior knew Lorena's weak spots too easily. She was a tough woman, but when she got mad, her screaming and yelling reminded him of a duck, hence her nickname.

"Truth is," he said leaning into the chair. "I t'ought everyone was dead and I got caught up in—erm—personal matters."

She raised an eyebrow and placed her cigarette to her lips. "Is everything alright?"

"Now it is."

"Good."

"Where's my team?"

"Most of them have run off or joined other teams. When I get the time I'll assign you some new ones until then you Wolf and Greyback will have a small list to keep you busy until then. It shouldn't be too hard. It's a short list at that. If you need help, just call for some Snatchers. They'll show."

"Right," Scabior said rolling his eyes. He hated small groups. They were too easy to outwit and it would be easy to over power them and calling Snatchers was a chore in itself. He couldn't sit there and simply wait for them, but he didn't protest. "Ya got a smoke?"

Lorena sighed and tossed her cigarettes at him. He caught it with one hans, pulled one out and lit with the tip of his wand. He tossed the cigarette back and she caught it and tossed them back in her desk.

"How's Wolf?" she asked exhaling smoke.

"Dunno, but I guess 'e's fine."

"Tell him to come over sometime after work."

Scabior smirked and nodded. "I thought ya two 'ad afternoon delight goin' on. Now 'e's goin' to yer place. Tsk tsk."

"Hush!" she snapped. "You know Yaxley would kill me if he found that out. But how did you know?" she asked in a whisper.

Scabior shrugged and exhaled smoke rings. "I just know. Don' question me 'ow."

"Humph. Well if you tell anyone, I'm going to saw you in half with a sickle."

"Relax, I'm not gonna say a word. Give me the new list though before I get any ideas." He said holding out his hand. She looked down at his outstretched palm and back to him.

"I already gave it to Wolfie."

"Well, give it to me too."

"There's only one copy of the list."

Scabior rolled his eyes and let out another line of smoke rings. "Oi," he said. "Where is Wolf by the way?"

"Oh." Lorena said putting out a cigarette and lighting a new one. "I'm pretty sure they're still at the little inn in Xenia."

"Did ya 'ave a li'le visit?" he winked.

She glared at him until he got up from his seat and walked toward the door. His hand wrapped around knob of the door and half of his body was through the threshold when he said; "See ya 'round, Small One." He closed the door just in time to avoid getting the picture frame thrown at him.

* * *

He pushed open the creaky wood doors of the inn and scanned the room. The inn was clouded with smoke in the dim light. There weren't many occupying the wood tables. Only an older couple that couldn't have been older than fifty, a dazed woman who looked only twenty, and a few vagabonds that scattered themselves around the eatery. He spotted sitting in the corner of the eatery directly in front of the older couple. His eyes were glued to a copy of the _Daily Prophet _and his fingers wrapped around a glass of mead and a half eaten mutton pie.

"_Is it ready?" Scabior asked Nellie Dupont, Charlie's mother. The older woman's dirty blonde hair was pulled up messily to the crown of her head and her stringy strands hung down to her cheeks. Scabior thought she dunked her head in a toilet before walking outside of her home because of how greasy and vein-like her hair became. She would've been prettier if her make-up composed of black eye shadow that reached the arch of her pale eyebrow, raccoon kohl eyes, bright red lipstick and pink blush. It made her resemble a drunken clown that had reached his end of the road of his entertainment career. She drew back her sleeves and grinned. _

"_Tell 'im to eat it slow and savor every bite." She said, picking up her famous mutton pie and handed it to Scabior. He peaked under the pie cover and grinned. _

"_Mr. Cutting will love it." Scabior said in a bow. "Thank ya ma'am." _

"_Anything I can do for Cutting, Scabior. I'll use whatever is left for the lunch rush I suppose. Maybe I'll give some to those snake head purebloods." _

_Scabior bowed again and exited the store in a rush. _

Scabior walked toward his old friend and plopped himself down in the wobbly seat across from his friend. He tried to steady the chair in vain and did his best to ignore the irritating imperfections of the chair. Wolfie's eyes looked up and he folded the newspaper in half.

"'Bout time." Wolfie replied, taking another short sip from his mead. He sniffed the air and his lips curled into a lewd smile. "You smell like your mum." He purred. Scabior could've vomited. That disgusting lustful grin on Wolfie's face as he thought of Capucine, made Scabior want to grab him by the neck and smack him into a bloody pulp.

"I know." Scabior replied. He was aware Wolfie had a crush on his mum since they were eleven. He wasn't surprised he did, he could admit his mother was attractive, but he did find it annoying that only Wolfie could tell when he used her shampoo. He narrowed his eyes at Wolfie, ready to raise hell, but he decided against it. His alcohol level was low and he wasn't in the mood for an argument much less a physical fight. "Where's Greyback?" he asked instead, signaling the bartender to give him a drink.

"The owner of the inn wasn't too keen on letting a werewolf in his establishment, so he gave him the barn to sleep in." Wolfie explained. From the corner of Scabior's eye he saw Greyback through a dirty window in the alleyway talking to two cloaked figures. One was a bulky man and the other skinnier and a bit more feminine. The man placed a cigar to his lips and lit it with the tip of his wand. A cloud of smoke exited his parted mouth blowing in the wind. The feminine figure standing beside him fanned the smoke in the other direction. Scabior frowned at them and turned away.

"Tragic." Scabior said dully, tapping his fingers on the table as a glass of mead came to his hand. He drank it down in nearly a gulp and ordered another just before the bartender settled at his station. He saw again from the corner of his eye he saw a woman walking around the inn like she was skipping on the beach. Her sandy brown hair was wild and dirtied and wore a black choker wrapped around her neck pale muddy hand printed neck. On her tiny frame was a dirtied white dress and no shoes on her calloused and bloodied feet except for tight bandages that squeezed her flat feet. She had bruises all along her back, arms and face.

Scabior could tell she had been was using vermillion and she was coming down from the high. The potion was a hallucinogen and made the user transform their world into their own reality. He was glad he never took a habit to the potion. Many had gone mad from it, or offed themselves because they couldn't tell the difference between the world they created and reality.

"So, any new jobs yet?" Scabior asked, receiving his second glass of mead.

"Well everything else seems like mere child's play after losing that 20,000" Wolfie replied his face frowned and his eyes cast downward.

"Don' remind me." Scabior said dryly. "Let me see the list."

"Erm," Wolfie hesitated and nervously stirred the mead in his hand. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Yea', give me the list."

"I don't think that's a good idea mate."

"Give me the damn list."

"Mate, I don't think it's such a good idea."

"If ya-"

He was interrupted by the sound of the woman coming toward them. Her eyes were teary and she talked as if she had a mouthful of gunk in her mouth. Scabior assumed she was probably deaf or too high to form words. Her incomprehensible speech and her nerve to interrupt his thought.

"Go over there." He ordered to her in a sharp loud voice, pointing to the opposite direction. She smiled, curtsied and walked to the other end of the inn. He turned back to Wolfie. "As I was saying, give me the damn list."

"You'll regret it."

"I'll smack the livin' shit out of ya if ya don' give me the bloody list."

Wolfie sighed and reached into his leather jacket pocket and handed him the list. Scabior looked at his jacket up and down and asked. "Is that new?"

"Yea', I lost the old one I had."

"'ow?"

Wolfie shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. It's probably at the brothel or something."

"Oh." Scabior said looking at the closed list. He inhaled and held his breath as he looked down the list.

_Castillo, Marcy  
McKinney, Willian  
Parker, Natalie  
Holland, Demetri  
Hallway, Daniel  
Clark, Betty  
Clobb, Audrey  
Harson-Sweets, Ivory  
Molyneux, Anya-_

He stopped reading and closed the list and slid it back toward Wolfie. "I know." Wolfie remarked.

Scabior quickly devoured his glass of mead and sat back in his seat. They remained in dreaded silence for several seconds. Scabior then took Wolfie's glass of mead and drank the rest of it. Wolfie opened his mouth to say something, but preferred to be mute. "What do you want to do?" he asked after a while.

"We snatch 'em." Scabior said without hesitation. "Mum already told me where she was."

"Where?"

"I'll give you one guess."

Wolfie frowned and stared into his empty glass of mead. "Ivory." he said.

"Yea'."

"You're really going to do it?"

"Yea'." Scabior said. "It's our job."

"But- she's your-" Wolfie was interrupted by the woman in the dirtied dress screaming at the top of her lungs, clutching her hair and ripping out clumps of frizzy chunks and throwing them to the ground. She screamed, howled and yelled until the bartender threw her out.

"That's bad shit to get hooked on." Wolfie commented.

"Yea'." Scabior said. "It is. But anyway, Mum told me Ivory is usin' 'er 'ouse as a 'ideout for mudbloods and blood traitors."

"And Little Wolf and Jackie are with her?"

"Yep."

"Son of a bitch." Wolfie looked up at Scabior. "What can I do?"

"Go get yer kids."

"And put them where? A brothel isn't the ideal home for two children."

"Figure somethin' out."

"I don't know." Wolfie said, running his hand through his hair. "I don't want them to get hurt because Ivory is a foolish brat, but where can I put them?"

"Yea' and it's not like yer parents are stable. Wot 'bout 'er parents?"

"I don't know where they live. It's hard for Ivory to keep in touch with them because their world is so much different than ours."

"Yea'." Scabior said, leaning back in his chair till the wood creaked.

"What are you going to do about Colt?"

"I don' know."

He hadn't given much thought to what he could do with Colt. He was too young to be a snatcher and because he was so small he would hold him back. He rationalized it would be easier for Capucine to watch after him until he was finished with his job. He could only hope Anya would come quietly. He didn't want another episode such as the one he had previously before. No one ever said that his job would be easy, he never assumed so. Some days it was bored him to tears and other days the thrill of the chase gave him an adrenaline high that no sip of vermillion or swig of alcohol could replace.

"_Ted!" he screamed, catching up with the older muggle born wizard and his companions. He was standing in front of two other men and two goblins. The first man was older with short brown hair and dirt on both sides his face. The other was a boy no older than seventeen. His skin was a brown shade and his hair a dull black. Ted turned around on his heel. His wand held out in front of him and blood falling from his temple. _

"_Scabior?" he asked, squinted and blinking away the fallen blood. Scabior held his arms out in front of his team of snatchers. "No one fire at 'im!" He commanded. _

"_What?" Greyback frowned. _

"_Ya 'eard me, Greyback!" Scabior screamed over his left shoulder, keeping his eyes on Ted. "I mean that fer all of ya, no one fucking fire at 'im!" _

"_What the hell are you doing, kid?" Ted responded breathlessly, holding his wand in front of him with a shaking hand. "Why?" _

"_Ted, put the fuckin' wand down." _

"_Why Scabior? What the hell do you hope to accomplish? Who put you up to this?" _

"_Ted," Scabior said, making his way forward his wand held in front of him, but his other hand held out in surrender. "Please, listen." _

"_Get out of here, Ted!" The darker skinned boy yelled at him. His wand was pointed to the right of Scabior at Wolfie. _

"_Stay out of this, Dean!" _

"_Listen to 'im, kid." Scabior said gruffly to Dean. His gaze was as cold as ice, but warmed as he glanced at Ted. "I wan' ya to listen to me, Ted. Yer a good man, ya don' deserve to die like 'is. Let me 'elp ya. I promise you, nothin' will go wrong. Think of Dora—" _

"_Don't you dare bring Dora into this, boy! She has nothing to do with this, NOTHING AT ALL!" Ted barked. _

"_What the hell is he talking about, Scabior?" Greyback inquired, walking forward. "Do you know this filthy mudblood?" _

"_Shut the fuck up, Greyback!" Scabior said barely turning his head to look at the werewolf. "Ted—"_

"_Does your mum know? Does she know what you're doing? What you've become? It would break her heart." _

"_Scabior," Greyback growled. "Kill him!" _

"_Didn' I say, SHUT UP!" Scabior yelled back, his head was spinning and the sounds of yelling from both sides and his own heartbeat banging against his ears distracted him from focusing. It was nearly impossible for him to focus on one thought. _

"_Fucking kill him!" Nikki yelled. "Kill the bloody mudblood!" _

"_Ted, yer a good man. Yer not like 'em. Yer not like other mudbloods. Ya don't deserve this. Come wit' me and let me 'elp you-" _

"_Am I a good man because I am a good man or am I good because I'm an exception to your bigotry?" Ted asked, with one thick eyebrow raised. Scabior couldn't decide which was true in his own mind._

"_What the hell are you doing, Scabior? Is this some kind of joke or—" _

"_DIDN' I FUCKIN' TELL YA TO SHUT THE FUCK UP YA FILTHY FUCKIN' WEREWOLF?" Scabior screamed at Greyback. The werewolf jumped at his reaction, his face in a heavy snarl. He couldn't think. He was barely even breathing. He turned to Ted once again. The older man had tears falling down his face, small clear trails free of dirt down his face. "For Merlin's sake, do the right thing Ted. Come wit' me." _

_Ted's glare softened and his wand slowly lowered slightly. His eyes remained on the Snatchers behind him in fear and anger. The man with brown hair rushed forward, his wand pointed at Scabior. _

"_Dirk, no-" Ted said before Scabior instinctively pointed his wand at the man. The killing curse rolled off his tongue before the decision could travel through his mind. The green spell flew from the tip of his wand, hitting the man square in the chest. Before any more spells could be uttered he flew his hand up to the other snatchers. _

"_DO NOT FIRE AT 'IM!" Scabior ordered. "T'at's a fuckin' order!" _

"_SCABIOR!" Greyback growled, a line of slobber falling from the tip of his open mouth. His sharp yellow teeth barred._

"_DO AS YER TOLD!" Scabior turned to face Ted. When their glances met the older man's eyes became blank and retreated. They had widened in fear and uncertainty and the reflection of green illuminated his face._

"I'm not too sure." Scabior answered, tapping his fingers onto the wood table. "I don' really care either way."

"Why not?"

"The last time I saw 'im, 'e was eight months old."

"Yeah? So?"

"So, 'e doesn' know who I am and I don' know 'im. Why bother?"

"Try getting to know him if you have the chance. Your outlook is fucked up."

"Welcome to life." Scabior said. "She tricked me into it, anyway."

Wolfie muttered under his breath and put his glass of mead up to his lips, only to realize it was gone. He sighed and placed the glass on the table again.

"You could've walked away."

"Yea' try t'at when ya 'ave my own mum and Rooster up my bony arse."

"I know, mate, but-"

"But?"

"I don't know. I love my kids."

"Yet ya 'aven't seen 'em once since yer escape. Tsk tsk."

Wolfie shrugged. "I got used to being alone I reckon." He said. "Little Wolf might remember me, but I know Jackie won't. It's scary."

"Yea'." Scabior said.

He missed them the first year (at least he thought was the first year). Every time he tried to sleep at night all he'd see was the two of them. With every passing day, week and year he missed them less and less until their faces meshed together and blurred like he was staring at them through a glass block window. He couldn't decide if he cared and how much? Or was he just as scared as Wolfie was?

"I don't know."

"Well if we don' do it, someone else will."

"Yeah but-"

"I know," Scabior said. "Follow my lead."

"But-."

"Wolf, follow me." Scabior said emphasizing every word. Wolfie looked down at the list and pushed the parchment containing the list of names.

"Then you carry the list." Wolfie replied. Scabior grabbed the parchment from the table and shoved it into his jacket pocket.

"Let's grab get Greyback."

_The first week was the worse working for Cutting. He barely saw Anya Little Baby or even Chibs, because he was either working during the evenings or sleeping most of the day away. Anya tried to surprise him with a breakfast she made as soon as he walked in from work. He did his best to stay awake, but after nearly fifteen minutes of a good effort, the inevitable occurred and he passed out from exhaustion in to his eggs. The second week wasn't as bad at the first. He could function during the day, but he was still sleepy if he had less than ten hours of sleep. By the time the third week came around he was barely even tired when he came home. Little Baby and Chibs adapted to his new schedule as well. The two of them would stay up until he came home and the family would fall asleep together. However when his fourth week came around things changed. _

_It was a slow night for a Friday. On an average Friday, the pub was packed to almost capacity. However there was something different about it that day. It wasn't as congested and there were short breaks in between rounds of drinks. Typically, he would see Cutting playing cards at a nearby table with several other men, Wolfie would walk inside the pub, whisper something into his ear, Cutting would nod and Wolfie nodded at Scabior while he poured drinks and then exit. Scabior waited for hours for Wolfie to appear, but as the hours passed Scabior figured Wolfie wasn't coming tonight. He rationalized that it had to do with Ivory. He guessed she had been yelling and screaming, but it wasn't till a man burst through the doors of the pub, and forced his way to an irritated looking Cutting. The man whispered something in his ear, and suddenly Cutting stood up. _

_His wand was raised above his head. He whistled sharply and said in a guttural tone. _

"_LISTEN! You slimy little gits have been great patrons, but I'm afraid I have to cut your time short! So if you would be so kind as to leave in about ten seconds that would make me a happy man and even you a happier living human being. If not I will kill each and every single one of you that stands here and if you happen to apparate beforehand, believe me I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you." Scabior heard one loud pop, or two, but no one moved, mostly out of shock. Cutting sighed and aimed his wand at one tom, and said loud enough for everyone to hear. "Avada-" _

_A chorus of pops rang through the pub. Scabior readied himself to apparate when Patty grabbed his shoulder tightly. _

"_No, not you." He said. _

_Cutting's lips curved into a yellow toothed grin and walked out the pub for a brief moment, muttered something to someone out there and soon a bigger man was carrying a scrawny one over his shoulders came inside, with Wolfie at his heels. _

"_What the hell happened?" Cutting snapped, his voice forcing to keep his tone calm. _

"_He wouldn't come quietly." Wolfie said out of breath. "He fatally wounded Vallon. We don't know if there's more with him-" _

"_And you didn't try to fight back? You're uninjured, but Vallon is dying." Cutting lashed out kicking one the wood chairs a few feet away from him. Scabior winced as if the wood chair would fly toward him. "God, damn it! I hired you for a job! If you cannot do anything right, don't do it at all!" he yelled, pointing his finger in Wolfie's face. _

_Scabior looked to Patty, the older man's shoulders were squared and his eyes stared ahead, not looking at the scene before him. Scabior leaned to Patty and asked in a whisper. _

"_Wot do we do?" _

"_Shut up." Patty muttered back, his lips barely moving. Cutting paced in a circle and looked at Vallon. Blood soaked his tattered robes and covered his hands and also Wolfie's. The kid coughed and a trail of blood trickled down his cheek and chin. "We need to take him to St. Mungo's." Wolfie said._

_Cutting raised a greasy black eyebrow, pointed his wand at Vallon and said. "Avada Kadavera!" _

_A flash of green light flew from the tip of his wand and hit the kid in the chest. Scabior stared at the boy, waiting for his chest to move up and down or for him to writhe in pain, but the boy stood still and motionless. His eyes were wide open staring into the distance. _

"_He was going to die anyway." Cutting replied dismissively, snatching his bottle of mead off a table and taking a swig from it. _

_Cutting's dark eyes turned to Patty and Scabior. "Which one of you wants to go home a richer man?" _

_Patty gulped and breathed heavily through his nose. Scabior's eyes remained on the boy, probably no older than him. _

"_Boy!" he heard a snap. Scabior's eyes went to Cutting. "Are you deaf or slow?"_

"_None of 'em, sir." _

"_I asked you a question and I expect an answer." _

"_Sorry sir." Scabior said, his eyes turning back to the dead body before him. _

"_Look at me." Cutting said in a dangerously low voice. _

_Scabior forced himself to look at Cutting, his teeth digging into the flesh of his cheek. He could taste blood on his tongue. _

"_Do you want to make some extra money?" he asked again, his hands behind his back. "I need a young man, who's strong, quick on his toes, and above all smart. Mudblood Patty, is too old and isn't too bright, as you can see. I'll give you forty galleons if you bring his head or the money he owes me. Take anything of value from him and give it to me. I don't care what it is. Oh and make it quick." _

_Scabior shocked of the amount of money he would receive on top of his pay made his mouth water. The thoughts of how many bottles of fire whiskey and cigarettes he could get with all that money. He would even still have enough to give Anya something. Cutting glanced at Wolfie. _

"_What do you think, boy? Can I trust him?" he asked Scabior's friend. Wolfie's eyes were also on Vallon, but he immediately snapped back to Liam Cutting. _

"_Yes, sir." Wolfie replied. "Scabior is good for it." _

_Cutting glanced back at Scabior and said. "Well, do we have a deal?" _

_Without hesitation Scabior nodded his head, and uttered a simple. "Yes, sir." _

"_There's a good lad. Now run along, Wolf will show you the way."_

_Wolfie grabbed Scabior by the arm and they quickly apparated to a small house in the middle of the woods. Wolfie nodded his head toward the house. _

"Is this it?"

"Yea'." Scabior said, staring at the little house. He never saw it before. Ivory must've gotten a new one after Wolfie left for Azkaban.

It was already evening and he could smell the house sending off the smells of dinner. His stomach let out of a growl so loud Wolfie turned to him.

"Alright, what do we do?" Greyback asked. Scabior could hear the werewolf licking his lips at the dirty thoughts that were roaming around in his filthy head.

"Wolfie and I will go inside." Scabior said.

"Why do you two get to sit inside like kings, while I stay outside like an animal?" he asked.

Scabior scoffed and turned around to face Greyback. "Because ya are an animal, Greyback. Ya are!" Scabior snapped. "Now stay 'ere. Wolfie, let me do the talkin'." Greyback growled and walked slowly in the background, his hands clenching and unclenching slowly. Scabior kept his eyes on Greyback for a good several seconds as he receded behind the bushes. He waited till he was out of sight knocked hard on the door. He waited for a minute before knocking again.

He heard the sound of scurrying and then silence. "Yes?" He heard a voice say that was all too familiar.

"Open the door." Scabior said back to it.

"I've already told you people," He heard Ivory's voice say. She had a knack for mouthing off at the wrong times. "I told Mulciber, Lestrange and all you other Death Eaters that I have no idea where any of these mudbloods are and I have no interest in joining anyone. I just want to raise my children and get away from this madness. I just cooked dinner, so be a good boy and send some chicken home to your mummy, so I don't have to stick my-"

"Ivory." Wolfie said interrupting her rant. "It's me."

The door practically ripped open and Ivory wrapped her arms around him. She placed one hand on each side of his face and pulled him into a kiss. He placed one lazy hand on either side of her hips and kissed her back with his lips tightly together.

"Wolfie." she sighed with relief. "I was so worried. I didn't know it was you. I'm so glad to see you."

"I'm glad to see you-" Wolfie said, the smile on his face turning to a stunned look of shock. His features slowly fell back to their indifferent position and his shoulders hunched. A red mark appeared on the his pale skin of his cheek.

"You son of a bitch Wolfgang Harson," she said shaking the hand that slapped him. Scabior shuddered at the thought. The woman could hit harder than a man sometimes. Scabior assumed being adopted by a championship fighter and his sons had perks. "I was here taking care of three kids, three HYSTERICAL kids all by myself, while you had to go and do something so fuckin' stupid to get yourself locked up in Azkaban. Where's my money? Where's my compensation? Are you going to say anything or are you going to stand there like a bloody bugger?" Wolfie opened his mouth to say something and she slapped him again. "Shut up! I don't want to hear excuses! You little pussy piece of shit!" Ivory's eyes glanced at Scabior. "And you-"

"Don't ya even begin with me, Ivory." Scabior said his fist curling. He wanted to hit her. He hit her several times in the past and he wasn't in the mood to hear her have one of her famous temper tantrums. Ivory scoffed and placed a hand on either side of her hips and stared at him in the eye.

"Or you'll what? I know you put him up to this! You know what Anya has been through? What about your mum? You're such an irresponsible little shit!"

"Ivory," Scabior said, bending down so he could be at eye level with the smaller woman. "Do-not-even-fuckin'-try-it-wit- me!" he said in one breath. "I'm not in the goddamn mood for 'is shit. Now shut the fuck up and get back in the damn 'ouse! You shouldn' 'ave been mouthin' off to Death Eaters like that in the first place."

"I didn't mouth off to them!" Ivory snapped, getting in his face.

"Oh yeah? You were going to tell Mulciber, and Lestrange to fuck off? Yer gonna to tell 'em to run along and take some chicken 'ome to their mums? Do ya know what they do to people like 'at every goddamn day? They'd kill ya and yer children!"

"But-"

"So next time shut ya goddamn trap and don' do anything stupid!"

Ivory shut her mouth and turned on her heel and walked back into the house. "I'm goin' in the house because I wanted to in the first place." She rationalized. "It's cold. Close the door behind you Wolfie." Scabior exhaled sharply through his nose and followed behind Ivory with Wolfie close behind. Wolfie closed the door behind him and glanced at Scabior.

"Don' be a scared little shit. Ivory is mostly all bark and no bite." Scabior knew he was lying. She was about even. She would yell her head off and proceed to kill you.

"I don't feel like it." Wolfie replied.

"Ya never feel like it."

"It's not worth it."

The deeper Scabior came into the house the more it reminded him of the old house Ivory used to share with Wolfie. It looked homely, but everything was made out of wood. The floors looked barely worn down and everything smelled of cleaning potions. On the couch was a small navy blue girl's shirt. The needle went in and out the fabric, remedying the small hole. It scared Scabior how alike the house looked from the old one. In the corner was the dining table where he and Wolf used to sit and play cards and there was a staircase where the kids would run up and down as they played.

Ivory walked back into the kitchen with a cutting board out and several pots and pans already on the stove. Scabior sniffed the air and smelled the fresh scent of Swedish meatballs his favorite. His stomach grumbled the more he inhaled.

"Why are you here?" she asked in a remotely calm voice.

"We 'ave business to attend to." Scabior said after listening to his stomach grumble again.

"Yeah, right," she said. "You aren't real Death Eaters, just the errand boys. You're red sleeves right? Snatchers as you put it." Ivory scoffed, adding some spices to the meatballs as they simmered in the pot.

"T'at's right." Scabior said with a cocky grin on his face. "We're not 'ere to bother _my_ god children."

"Oh?" Ivory asked adding the sauce to the meatballs. "Then why are you bothering me?"

"Anya and Colt." Scabior said, and Ivory froze in her tracks. She stared into the pot. He had her attention and she listened carefully. "They're on the list. Do ya know why?"

Ivory came to her senses and stirred the sauce slowly, giving the illusion she didn't care, but she hung onto every word.

"No." Ivory said. "Why? She's a half blood right? Then there's nothing wrong with that."

From the corner of Scabior's eye he could see the fearful look in Wolfie's eyes, but he ignored it. "Apparently, she's been drawin' political cartoons in the Quibbler. It's not 'bout 'er blood status."

"Oh that's her?"

"Yep."

"I find them funny." Ivory said, taking a piece of sliced carrot off the cutting board and placing it in her mouth. "Did you see the one where she drew the Malfoy's spoon feeding a giant snake? Hilarious. They've been a bunch of snake head saluters from the very beginning."

This wasn't the first time he had to snatch up artist and writers. He snatched a few playwrights, singers, song writers, even orchestra conductors. If they didn't comply with the new order, they had to be punished. Often the singers and song writers would make songs with the words backwards or in other languages to avoid being detected. A few were clever and sang their songs through guttural noises. One of his favorite bands Goblin Trashers recorded a song called; "Snake Heads, Fuck Off." He overheard Nikki tell the other snatchers of their death. They were killed on stage as they performed it. According to him they saw Death Eaters walk into the building and played it loudly, while staring at them.

A few conductors played songs created by muggleborn wizards in concert halls and playwrights would make scripts that spoke out against the Dark Lord even going as far as to display his followers as bumbling idiots. Some of them fought to the death, while others escaped to America or far eastern countries. Most were caught, some were still at large.

Scabior saw in the corner of her eye on the coat rack another feminine coat on the hook one that he bought Anya for her twentieth birthday. It was a leather coat with swirls on the outside and green velvet on the inside. He had galleons saved up for months so he could buy it for her. She hugged him tightly and kissed him lustfully. She never fucked him so hard after receiving that jacket. He loved watching her wear it as much as she did.

"Would ya 'appen to know where she is?" Scabior asked.

"Nope." Ivory said with a shrug. "I wouldn't know. Why?"

"I just found it odd ya 'ave 'er jacket."

"She let me borrow it a year or so back." Ivory said hesitantly. "I never had a chance to give it back." She was a terrible liar. Scabior smirked and stood up from his seat.

"Ivory," Scabior said, walking an inch forward. "Remember when we used to date?" Ivory shook her head, but kept her eyes forward, her stirring became slower and slower with every second. He saw Wolfie shift in his seat uncomfortably.

"I try to forget. What does this have to do with anything?"

"Ya never liked leather. Do ya remember why?"

"I grew to like it."

"Bullshit." Scabior said. "Ya had a babysitter one year, a very bad one. Ya told me she used to beat ya and yer brothers with a leather belt if you were misbehaved. Ya don't like leather much. I remember ya told me. One time she beat ya so badly ya could barely walk. Remember ya told me that? You never got into details. Ever since then ya 'ated wearin' leather. Of course ya didn' mind me wearin' it."

Ivory turned around on her heel and crossed her arms over the other. She had nothing to say of course, instead she glared at him. She clenched her teeth and ground them. "You wouldn't do that to the love of your life." She said. "No one could be that cruel."

"Are ya willing to take t'at chance, _dear_?" Scabior asked, letting the last word extend. He watched Ivory's every move carefully. Her wand was in her back pocket where it normally was, and he watched her carefully reach into her back pocket and pulled out her wand. Scabior quickly pulled out his. Ivory opened her mouth, but Scabior flicked wand.

"_Expellarmius_!"

Wolfie was by his side before the spell could finish passing from his lips. He caught her wand in midair and pocketed it. Ivory narrowed her eyes at them and eyed the knife resting on the counter near the cutting board. "Ivory," Scabior said. "Do not do anything stu-"

She rushed to the knife, and Scabior quickly stunned her. Her limp body flew across the room, hitting her head on one of the cabinets and denting the wood. Wolfie rushed to her side and checked her vitals and inspected her. She was bleeding from the back of her head. A few specks of blood stained her blonde hair. She groaned as she felt his touch. He muttered a few words and the cut had been healed.

"_Petrificus Totalus!"_ He heard and his body went ridged. He couldn't blink or even move his eyes to see who stunned him. His stiff heavy body fell to the ground onto his side. From what little vision he had, he could see a woman with black hair down her shoulders and curvier frame staring down at him. She shifted him on his back and her dark eyes widened.

She looked away from Scabior to Wolfie, he assumed. "Give me your wand." He heard the wood fall to the ground and shoved it to her. Anya quickly snatched the wand. "Is she alright?" She asked Wolf.

"Yes. She's out cold."

"Good, she's fine then." Anya turned her attention back to Scabior. She was still beautiful with very little aging. Her eyebrows were thin to a point where they were practically nonexistent and her cheek bones were more distinguished.

"Scabior," she said. Her red lips formed into a smirk. "I recognized that red streak and nearly dreaded hair." She chuckled and shook her head. She pushed her dark hair behind her ear and ran her fingers down his stubble ridden cheek. Her thin fingers found the red cloth on his arm. She clicked her tongue and shook her head. "I should've known. That is explains why you were too busy to see your son. Speaking of that," She leaned closer to him. Her breath smelled of mint and it warped together to make a delicious scent. "That nasty spell was for being a red sleeve. Merlin knows what you have seen and done. I heard about Ted Tonks. It's tragic."

Scabior's heart sunk further into his stomach, but his features bore no discomfort. She leaned forward further and kissed his lightly on his lips. "That is a welcome home from me and your son."

"Who's that?" He heard a tiny voice say. He could barely see the boy's face, only his tiny feet and round silhouette. Several footsteps walked closer to him, but he managed to see a boy no older than four or five look down at him. His gray-blue eyes scanned him and he pointed to Scabior. "Mumma, who is that?" he asked again.

An older boy peered down at him on the other side. He looked almost exactly like Wolfie only with longer hair and Ivory's long jaw. He frowned at him and said.

"Is that Uncle Scabior?" he asked.

"Is this the man in the picture, Mumma?" the boy asked, looking up at Anya.

'_Colt?' _he thought trying to form words with his stiff mouth, but they wouldn't come out.

"Go back upstairs." She ordered. Scabior heard scurrying up the stairs and he smelled her scent of vanilla only faintly. "You've gotten skinny." She said in her raspy voice. "I'm ashamed of you Scabior. You were supposed to be much better than this." She pointed the tip of her wand in his face and suddenly his eyes closed to darkness.

"_He's crazy." Wolfie mumbled under his breath as they crept toward the house. Scabior led the way toward the house his head down and his eyes searching for any possible movement. _

"_Follow my lead, Wolf. We'll be okay." _

_Wolfie looked at him skeptically and shook his head. Scabior placed a hand on his broad shoulder and squeezed tightly. Wolfie looked up at him and nodded. They had to trust each other or they would never leave alive. _

_They walked to the house, leaves crunching under their boots. Crickets and other bugs made noises within earshot. The sound rang in Scabior's ears. They were close enough to almost touch the white wood fence when Scabior heard a man's voice yell: "Expulso!" _

"_GET DOWN!" Scabior said shoving Wolfie and jumping out of the way, missing the explosion by a few inches. Scabior, Wolfie and the man in the house exchanged spells back and forth. Their voices came together like a cloud of smoke, so thick Scabior couldn't tell who was trying to hex who._

"_Expelliarmus!" _

"_Reducto!" _

"_Stupefy!" _

"_Crucio!" _

"_Avada Kedavra." _

"_STOP!" Scabior yelled at the top of his lungs. Wolfie stopped and the man on the other end stopped as well. _

"_Who are you?" the man's voice echoed from the house. _

"_Who are you?" Scabior called back. _

"_Fre-Fredick." He said breathlessly. "Who is this?" _

"_Scabior. Nice to meet ya." _

"_Pleasure to make your acquaintance, I wish it was under better circumstances." Fredrick replied. "Why are you attacking me?" _

"_I could ask ya the same question, Freddy." Scabior said back. _

"_You're one of Cuttings guys aren't you?" Fredrick called. "I said I would have the money soon. I don't have it now." _

"_Ya don' 'ave to tell me 'at." Scabior said. "'e's furious. 'e brought twenty other men. it's not just me. How many are 'ere wit ya?" Scabior noticed the look on Wolfie's face and he shrugged back at him. _

"_J-Just me." _

"_No kids? No women?" _

"_No. My son he's with his mum in the country. Please, do not go looking for them!" _

"_I won'." Scabior said. "I promise. Cutting 'as a grudge against ya. How old is yer kid?" _

"_Five." He answered. _

"_Look, I'll cut ya a deal." Scabior said, thinking quickly. "I'll talk to ya, no wands. Just you and me, no other men, no wands, understand." _

"_Alright." Fredrick replied. "You can come in." _

_Scabior tucked his wand into his jacket pocket and carefully walked through the broken fence and to the door. He inhaled and exhaled deeply before walking toward the door and pushed it open. He saw a scrawny man with messy brown hair and pointing his wand toward the door. Scabior let out an exasperated sigh through his thin parted lips. "This was not the deal Freddy." Scabior replied. "I did not agree on a Mexican standoff." _

_Fredrick eyes twitched and asked. "Wh-What's a Mexican stand off?" he asked with an eyebrow raised. _

_Scabior shrugged his shoulders. He heard Rooster say it a few times and he liked the ring to it. "It's two people who are not willin' to give up 'eir weapons. I 'eard it from my mum's old man, I reckon 'at's wot we're 'en. Now, Freddy put away the wand." _

"_How do I know you aren't just going to get one of those men to blast me away?"_

"_What other choice do you 'ave? I still 'ave twenty men outside and twenty more on the way. You 'ave no other choice, but to trust me and your son will still 've 'is father 'nd you can leave with yer 'ead. Give me anything valuable, now." _

"_Alright, alright." Fredrick said, putting away his wand slowly. Scabior kept his eye on the auburn wood until it was out of sight. "Now, give me anything of value." Scabior instructed. _

"_Like what?" _

"_Rings, necklaces, priceless china, stuff like 'at." _

"_Alright," Fredrick said. "Just, stay here." Fredrick backed away slowly. Scabior kept absolutely still, watching the boy carefully. His entire body was tense and his reflexes were on edge. If Freddy made one move, he would whip out his wand and blast him through the wall. When Freddy disappeared up the stairs, Scabior leaned against the wall. His arms were folded, but his hand was still wrapped around his wand. He wasn't sure how long he had been waiting, but the scrawny man carried a full sack on his back that made a clang as he walked down the creaky staircase. _

"_That's all I have." He said, tossing the sack to Scabior. The younger man caught it and weighed it on his arm and said. _

"_Thanks. It was a pleasure for doing business with ya." He slowly backed away from the older man. From the corner of his eye he spotted Wolfie making his way through the threshold of the door. _

"_What the hell took so-" Wolfie began, before Freddy whipped out his wand and pointed it at Wolfie. Scabior instinctively dropped the heavy sack and pointing his wand into Freddy's chest._

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!" he screamed not thinking. A shot of green light flew from his wand and hit Fredrick in the chest. The man flew back, his body making a thud against the wall. If the curse hadn't killed him the crack in his skill would've. He was dead before he hit the ground. Scabior felt his skin flush and his stomach turned. He suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous. He couldn't think or move. _

"_Shit," he said, his eyes scanning the body over and over. Scabior panted and brought his hand to his head. The room was spinning and his feet felt heavy. His panic had been rising with each passing second. He was going to be sick. He grabbed the sack and pushed Wolfie out of the door. "Go! Move!" He managed to say. _

"_But-" _

"_I said come the fuck on!" Scabior yelled, trying to make a run for it. He only got half-way out the yard when the foul taste of bile ran up his throat. He stopped in the yard and vomited in the grass._

"_The first kill is always the toughest." Wolfie said touching Scabior's hunched back. Scabior shoved his hand away and heaved in and out with his hands propped on his thighs. _

"_Shut up!" Scabior growled. "I-I didn' mean to. It was 'is fuckin'-" _

"_I know." Wolfie said with a nod. "I know." _

* * *

"_Rennervate_." Anya's voice said. The minute Scabior opened his eyes he felt a sharp pain in his nose, and he could barely open his left eye. He felt a hand open his left eye and trace up and down with their finger tip. "Wot the 'ell did ya do to me, woman?" Scabior asked in a hoarse voice.

"The nose was for being a son of a bitch." Anya confessed. "Ivory did that." Scabior scanned the room for her, but it hurt too badly to do so. "The left eye was an accident. We tried to get you up the stairs, but you fell." Anya replied muttering a spell and the swelling ceased. His eye slowly opened and all he could feel was a dull pain. She flicked her wand at his nose and he heard a sharp crack and searing pain. A lone tear from his eye, but he refused to cry out in pain. He bit the inside of his mouth till the pain numbed.

"Feel better?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Good." Anya said, with a satisfied smile. Scabior could feel his wrist and feet bound by rope. He turned his head to check his surroundings through his hazy vision. He saw Wolfie facing in front of him with ropes on his wrist and ankles. His visage bore no hatred or anger, but his eyes did. They were dark and directed toward him.

"So this was the plan?" Wolfie asked with an eyebrow raised. "We didn't snatch anything and now we're being held captive. Great plan, daisy!"

"Now ya can speak up?" Scabior snapped. "Ivory was verbally bitch slappin' ya and ya didn't know two fuckin' words. No shit. Everything didn' go accordin' to plan and its yer- did ya just call me a fuckin' daisy?" Scabior growled.

Calling any man a "daisy" in Xenia, was essentially him a bitch, perhaps worse than that. Liam Cutting used it often times against most of the men who worked for him, especially Patty. The old Irishman was fun for Cutting to mess with.

"Both of you daisies shut up!" Ivory snapped, holding an icepack to the back of her head. Anya forced Scabior's chin toward her.

"Why were you trying to snatch me?" she demanded.

"Ya can' trust me, babe?" he asked with a grin on his face. "Would I do that to ya?"

Anya's thin black eyebrow went up and she wrinkled her nose. He never noticed how cute her freckles were on the bridge her nose. Her wide almond shaped brown eyes examined his face carefully before answering his question.

"Friends are backstabbing friends and families are killing each other for the selfish desire to protect their own arses. Frankly, I don't believe anyone and after you stunned Ivory, I wouldn't be surprised."

"There's a fuckin' werewolf wit' us." Scabior said. Ivory gasped and grabbed her chest in shock. "I couldn' risk it." Scabior said with a nod.

"Where are my kids?" Wolfie asked finally. Ivory opened her mouth, but he talked over her. "I just want to see my kids. I don't care about this stupid job or the bloody money or even _you_." His tone was venomous and spiteful. "Ivory let me see my children." Ivory's face was cold and unyielding. Anya shook her head.

"They're upstairs." Anya said softly.

"May I see them?" Wolfie asked desperately. "You can keep my wand, if it means I get to see them." Ivory cut her eyes at Anya and spat.

"Excuse me, but they're my children."

"He's not going to harm them, Ivory. Let him go."

"Never."

"Ivory, you're being unreasonable."

"I don't care."

"Ivory," Anya said in a soft tone. "Please, for five minutes. I do not think that is too much to ask."

Ivory looked between Wolfie and Anya. She rolled her eyes and nodding her head. She waved her wand and the ropes fell from his ankles and wrist onto the floor. "Five minutes." Wolfie wasted no time in getting the feeling back into his limbs before walking to the staircase. He froze in mid step and turned to look at the blonde.

"I have to ask," He said. "Have you been taking advantage of the prison clause? I wanted no man around my children."

"Fuck off." Ivory said, turning her head away from him. Wolfie stiffened his jaw and walked back up the stairs. Scabior nodded toward Anya. A charming smirk still planted on his face.

"Wot 'bout you? 'ave you taken advantage of the prison clause?" A surge of jealousy pumped through his veins. He couldn't stand the thought of another man raising his son or making love to his woman. It turned his stomach. She was his after all. She had it tattooed on her flesh. Anya narrowed her eyes at him and kneeled closer to him.

"I haven't brought any of them around Colt."

"How many?"

"The same could be asked of you."

"Touché," Scabior purred. "But I've still been dreamin' 'bout ya."

Anya rolled her eyes, but didn't move. "Really have you now?" she asked.

"Yea'."

"Tell me 'bout those dream then." Anya asked, leaning in interest. Scabior tried to think of something quick. Most of his dreams were nightmares and he barely remembered the fantasies to begin with. He only remembered their slick bodies pressed against one another, her kisses and her soft hands running up and down his body as he pushed into her. Her slick wet walls felt so tight against him even after her pregnancy. She was always so tight and a good fuck.

"Remember when I took ya to Paris?" he smirked.

"I do." Anya said.

"We went to the Eiffel Tower while all the Muggles slept?"

"Oh I remember." Anya said getting on her hands and knees and leaning close to him, so close he could smell her perfume. His manhood gave a small twitch.

"Yea' and you got stuffed."

"Ah," Anya sighed, grabbing the dirty pink scarf that was supposed to have been hers and pulled him closer toward her. Her curled lips were only an inch from his. "I know what time you are talking about. The one time you took me to France and we spent the first two days throwing up on ourselves because of that cheap lunch you bought us." She tossed him back against a wall.

Scabior growled as his back hit against wall. He groaned in pain before saying.

"Well, the rest of the vacation was nice if ya bother to remember!" Scabior heard scurrying down the stairs. He assumed it was the children before he heard a familiar clacking and hollering. He felt weight on his shoulders and something wrap around his head.

"Wot the-" he said before he felt something tug on his hair and nibble on his ear. The pressure was suddenly lifted when a monkey fell on the floor in front of him. He frowned and cocked his head to the side before smiling.

"CHIBS!" he cried. The tiny chimp pumped his chest and jumped up and down. He crawled up his shoulder and wrapped his arms around Scabior's neck. "I missed ya, Chibs." Chibs made a soft sound that resembled a baby coo and nuzzled himself into Scabior's neck. The side of Anya's mouth twitched into an abstract grin. "He missed you a lot. He didn't sleep or eat after you left for nearly a month."

"I missed 'im." Scabior said, nuzzling his head against Chib's head. It was true. He missed Colt, Anya and his old friend Chibs. He thought of the three of them often enough to keep him awake at night. For a reason he could not explain, he felt complete for the first time in nearly a year. Anya's head perked up at the sound of noise outside. She stood up, her wand drawn and her eyes to the door. "We need to move." Anya said to Ivory.

She removed the icepack from her head and threw it on the floor. Her finger pointed at Scabior. "You better tell that werewolf you didn't see anything. That grimy monster better not step foot in my house. I'll blast 'em to his maker."

Scabior rolled his eyes and turned his head to Chibs. He winked at him twice. Chibs climbed off his shoulder and scurried behind him, nibbling at the ropes. The two women barely seemed to notice Chibs's actions and Scabior made sure they wouldn't.

"'e won't do anything, not unless I command it." Scabior said. Ivory muttered what sounded like; "show off", but he ignored her.

His thoughts were interrupted by another sound coming from the staircase. Tiny footsteps and even smaller footsteps made their way down the stairs. Ivory groaned before turning her head.

"Now what is it?"

Scabior felt his hands loosen free and Chibs returned back to the spot on his shoulder. Scabior nodded his head at the monkey and Chibs groomed him with curious hands. Scabior felt small soft paws jump on his lap and a wet tongue lap his cheek.

"Oh Little Baby," He heard Ivory say. "You don't know where he's been."

The small black terrier dog threw her front paws in the air and chased her tail with excitement before licking Scabior's face. Chibs made a squeaky noise at her and Little Baby barked.

"I missed you too." He said to Anya's little dog. Ivory rolled her eyes at the family reunion. Scabior turned his head and saw a young boy no older than five with messy chin length brown hair and big blue-gray eyes examining him. He furrowed his brows walked closer to him. Anya stepped in front of him and placed her hands on her hips.

"I thought I told you to stay upstairs." she snapped at the young boy. He looked up at her and blinked curiously.

"I did, mummy!" He said in a small voice. Scabior was fascinated by the lad. He watched his every movement and absorbed his characteristics. He couldn't believe in a million years that was his little boy, his Colt that could fit into his forearms all those years ago. He wanted to reach out and hug him, but he couldn't. It would be odd. The child didn't even know who he was.

"Then why are you here now?"

"Because," Colt paused to think of what he wanted to say. "I was sitting upstairs and… and… and… Little Baby and Chibs ran down the stairs… and I tried to catch them… but…but…but-"

"Think about what you're going to say." Anya corrected. Colt thought for a moment and looked up at Anya. "Are you ready?"

"Mhm!"

"Okay, go on."

"But they were too fast and now I'm here." Colt finished. Anya shook her head. "We have no time, come on. I need to get you ready, we have to leave." Colt stared at Scabior and frowned again. "Who is he, mummy?"

"Never mind that, sweetheart. Pack your things, we have to move."

Wolfie came down the stairs holding a girl with Ivory's curly blonde hair and Wolfie's light colored eyes. Her tiny arms were wrapped around his neck and her head was placed on his shoulder.

"There's the beautiful Jacqueline." Scabior said motioning dramatically with his hands, a smile on his face.

Ivory glanced at him, her jaw opened in an 'o'. Scabior noticed his blunder, but paid no mind. He untied his ankles and stood up. Jackie stared at him with skeptical eyes and frown furrowed on her small features. Of course she didn't remember him. She was only a young child when he left.

A boy about nine or ten followed behind Wolfie. The little boy looked remarkably like his father in features and stature. They both walked with a hunch and speed into their step.

"That's my girl." Wolfie said he turned to the girl, kissing her head. "Do you remember me?"

The girl placed her thumb in her mouth before answering and nodded her head. "You're the man in the pictures." She said in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, I'm your daddy." He said.

"Okay, then I love you, daddy." Jacqueline said hugging him close. She looked at Scabior and cocked her head to the side. "What happened to ya nose?" Scabior's eyes turned to Ivory and she glared at him.

"Ask yer mum." Scabior said nodding his head toward Ivory.

"I'm hungry Mama." Little Wolfie said.

"I know, baby. I'm sorry. I'll fix you something soon. Uncle Scabior and Wolfie were just leaving."

"There's no time." Anya said. "We should all leave soon. I mean now, let's go." The children looked to each other and back up at the dark haired woman. They shook their heads. They were sick of moving from place to place, home to home. They were too hungry and sleepy to move again, but they had to.

Scabior held his hand palm open to Ivory. "Give me my wand." Ivory shook her head reluctantly. The two tried to stare the other down in their optical Mexican standoff, but eventually Ivory gave in and tossed him his wand and Wolfie's. "Now go." Ivory said, pointing to Scabior with a strong index finger.

"I think I'm going to stay." Wolfie said to Scabior. Scabior ignored him and put his wand in his jacket. His attention turned to the little boy. "What's yer name?" he asked.

"Who wants to know?" The boy asked.

"He's yours alright." Ivory stated, keeping her eyes on the front door and taking Little Wolf's hand in hers.

"I'm Scabior." He said to the boy.

"I'm Colt." The boy replied. "Why are you here-"

Scabior heard several loud pops. He placed his hands on each arm of Anya's. "Go! Go to mum's and hide there, I'll catch up." Ivory and Wolfie took Little Wolf and Jackie into their arms and quickly disapparated.

"But-"

"Trust me. Just go."

"We-"

Scabior pressed his lips against hers and shoved his tongue past the forces of her tight mouth to dance with hers. Anya fought him for a brief second, but began to submit to him. He parted from her, running a hand through her hair. "Go." He whispered against her parted lips. Her eyes opened lazily and she nodded. "I'll meet you there, I promise." He kissed her briefly. Scabior placed Chibs in Colt's arms and Little Baby jumped into Anya's. They disapparated with a small pop just in time before the front door swung open.


	7. Strange Fruit

_Hey! Thanks everyone for being patient. I love you all. Enjoy and review. _

_I had to post the new chapter. I'm going to make some minor edits. Sorry in the mean time, but I had to let everyone know I didn't give up on this story. _

_Enjoy and review. _

_Val_

* * *

When they had disappeared behind with a crackle, the front door burst open and bounced against the wall behind it. Scabior could see the large shadow of Fenir Greyback. His fist were balled and a frown on his brow. Scabior stood up straight and fixed the scarf around his neck. He looked like a prancer with his hands on his waist and the pink scarf around his skinny neck, but he didn't care at that point.

"Well?" Greyback spat.

"Well, wot?" Scabior answered attempting to remain calm, but the inflection in his voice gave away his hidden panic. Greyback's nostrils flared as he sniffed the air of the house and narrowed his eyes.

"Where's the other one?"

Scabior cleared his throat and pretended he had no idea the werewolf was speaking of. He had done this before. To be right hand to Cutting and avoid the eyes of the law you had to be a quick liar, but the law enforcement was a less intimidating than the vicious half breed, drooling and smelling of the stench of dog, sweat and blood.

"Wot other one?" He asked with a frown.

"I am not stupid, Scabior."

"I didn' say ya were."

"So where is he?"

"Who?"

"Wolfie!"

"You're the wolf 'round 'ere."

"You bloody prat!" Greyback barked, stepping closer and closer to him. As much as he wanted to get away from the beast, he knew if he moved back that would be a sign of weakness. "Your nose is bleedin', Wolfie is missing and I can smell them. They _were_ here."

"They took Wolfie prisoner. I tried to fight 'em, but they overpowered me." Scabior shrugged nonchalantly. He could've kicked himself. He shouldn't be so casual about this. This wasn't anything to be casual about. One of his men was kidnapped and he's shrugging it off. He cursed himself. Greyback's look softened for a brief moment. His lips curled to bear his yellow sharpened teeth.

"I figured as much. That's why I called reinforcements."

Scabior's stomach lurched forward. Reinforcements, like who? He hoped it would be Ducky Rosewood and not who he thought. His gloved hand curled and his fingers cracked. A light sweat coated his palms, but his face remained expressionless.

"Why?" he asked, perhaps too quickly.

"Why not?"

"Er, well—I mean it is a little too soon to call reinforcements, don' ya think?"

"Do you know how long I had been squatting out there? Two bloody hours, Scabior. They should be arriving soon."

"Who will be arrivin'?" Before his sentence finished crossing the tip of his tongue, two crackles echoed outside of the cottage. Scabior swallowed thickly. His stomach rumbled and the strong taste of bile stung his throat and watered his eyes, but he pushed it back.

"_Lumos_." A rumbled voice spoke.

Lights from the tip of two wands illuminated the room. He saw a strong face, and chocolate brown hair that reached to hover above his broad shoulders. The other was skinnier with messy thick hair past his chin and a narrower pointed face. The Lestrange brothers. Scabior cursed under his breath the closer they came to him and Greyback. The half breed stood at attention like a soldier to his superior while Scabior thought his knees would give up on him. He toyed with the idea of playing dead like a possum. He had enough Lestrange for his lifetime. Rodolphus and Bellatrix were the two short tempered who were known to getting the job done no matter how many bodies had piled up by the end of the day.

"What is it, Greyback? You disturbed my dinner." Rodolphus said, crossing his arms.

"Apologies." Greyback said with a small bow. He was careful with every word he spoke. "Scabior would know better than I."

Rodolphus stared blankly at him and his hazel eyes scanned over Scabior. "Well?" he said after a moment or two.

Scabior opened his mouth when he saw Rodolphus flick his wand. Scabior flinched as the light around the home lit the empty space.

"What are you so jumpy about?" Rodolphus asked, looking down at him. Scbaior placed his hands in his pocket. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

"Nothin'. I ain't nervous."

Rodolphus narrowed his eyes and lunged at him with a balled fist. Scabior instinctively stepped back and the two brothers laughed. "You seem it." Rodolphus said, pulling out a _Diablo_ cigar. The two men were so close he could see the gold imprint near the mouth of the cigar.

"Nervous, I mean." He added, lighting the cigar with the tip of his wand. He exhaled smoke in Scabior's face. The younger man's jaw cracked as he attempted to keep his thoughts to himself.

"Well? Someone better have a decent enough excuse for disturbing my dinner." He said. Scabior looked at Greyback. His dark eyes stared forward and Scabior cleared his throat.

"The erm—blood traitors-"

"What were their names?" Rodolphus asked.

"I don't remember." Scabior said, shrugging his shoulders. Rodolphus raised a skeptical eyebrow and took a step closer to him.

"You don't remember?"

"Nope."

"Don't you have a list?"

Scabior could feel the parchment against his chest tucked in his jacket pocket, but he dared not even reach for it. He shook his head. It was evident he was lying. Every head Snatcher for every team was provided a list.

Rodolphus brought his spare hand to his beard and scratched his chin. "Well, what happened then?" His voice was growing sterner and short.

"They overpowered me and now I 'ave a broken rib and a broken nose." He lied. Rodolphus reached toward Scabior and pinched the bone of his nose with a gloved. Scabior held his breath and squeezed his eyes and made a small exaggerated noise. It was sore, but not as much as he implied.

"It doesn't seem broken. Did you heal it yourself?"

"Yes. Yes that's wot I did, sir."

"Did you? Really? You said you broke your nose."

"Broke. Past tense, sir."

"Interesting." Rodolphus dismissed. "Which rib did you say you broke?"

Scabior looked at Greyback when Rodolphus snapped his fingers. "He's not asking you the questions, is he? Look at me, both eyes." He waited till Scabior's eyes were on him to continue. "Which rib did you say you broke?"

Scabior pointed to the left side of his ribs. Rodolphus inspected the area and raised an eyebrow. Rabastan chuckled, but Scabior didn't dare look at him. He couldn't. If he did, he would be found to be a liar.

"You seem pretty fine for a broken rib. You would be in an awful amount of pain."

"I-"

"Listen, you little shit," Rodolpuhs said in a flat clam tone. "I'm not stupid. I wasn't born just yesterday. I know the difference between bullocks and the truth."

"I reckon you're not so bright after all." Scabior slipped out. Greyback looked nervously at me and Rabastan gave me a look like I had lost my mind, but he continued. "Because I don't know wot ya talkin' 'bout—"

Rodolphus grabbed his throat between his large index, middle finger and his thumb. Scabior began to panicked. He struggled to breathe and fought back the pain of his larynx getting crushed in the stronger man's grip. Scabior grabbed his wrist, but it only made his grip stronger.

"You could've made this easy, but you brought this upon yourself." He squeezed harder and Scabior gasped. His already sore knees fell to the floor and his eyes filled with tears. "Maybe you need to be brought down a peg or two. Perhaps I should end your miserable life here."

Rodolphus spoke slowly and stared at the ember of his cigar as he spoke before looking into his eyes. There was nothing left in them. Not the slightest bit of humility. It scared him although it shouldn't. He was staring into the eyes of death, and he felt as if he slowly leaving his body. His lids were growing heavy, but he was fighting so hard to live. He had to keep fighting, but he was losing strength second by second.

"Are you ready to tell the truth?" He asked. Scabior nodded. "Hm?" Rodolphus asked again. Scabior mouthed a 'yes' and gasped for air. Rodolphus waited for a few seconds before letting go of his throat. Scabior gasped and coughed onto the floor, spitting and blinking away tears. The top of his head seared with pain, but brought him to his feet.

"Now," Rodolphus said casually, holding Scabior by the strands of his tangled hair. His eyes burned with tears that he was holding back and his throat was swollen and he could barely breathe except through his aching nose. "We're going to try this once more." He said, placing the cigar between his lips and exhaling smoke into Scabior's face. His eyes burned even more than before, but he forced them open.

"Alright." He croaked.

"Do you know the names of the blood traitors?"

Another cloud of smoke entangled itself in Scabior's lungs. He coughed and nodded his head. "Yea'." He croaked through a cough.

"What were their names?"

"They've been taken care of, sir."

Rodolphus sighed. Before Scabior could comprehend his head was jerked to the wall to the side of him a few times until Scabior's head was ringing and the room became blurred. Warm and sticky mess fell from his nose and down into his open mouth. He could hear someone cackle.

"You're gonna kill him, Roddy."

"He isn't my kin."

"And if he was?"

"Oh well. He shouldn't hold back information."

Scabior figured the other voice was Rabastan. His eyes glanced up at Rodolphus again. His gray-blue orbs were glassy and red.

"Don't you even think of passing out on me." Rodolphus said. Smoke fell from his nostrils and Scabior forced himself to gather any consciousness left within him. "What were their names?"

Scabior couldn't give up Anya and Colt. His gut was telling him that they were blood traitors. Anya shouldn't have tried to face the enemy. She should've been taking care of his son and waiting for him to arrive. He should've found them earlier. He made up some excuse for the months he had been out of his cell. He wanted to gather enough money to buy his boy some toys, clothes, food, anything he would need. He would have without any hesitation. He had enough money, but he hadn't bought one toy. He hadn't even passed by a toy store as many times as he's walked through Diagon Alley. He would walk down the dingy streets with enough galleons jingling in his pocket. He'd hear the sounds of the same toy store he would pass by as a child, but he dared not go near it.

He remembered pressing his nose to the window and begged Capucine for _one_ toy. Depending on how good money was she would oblige. Most times they would simply look and he'd spend hours dreaming of buying a special toy he made a connection with. Then it would be time to go. He felt an immense guilt. Maybe Colt felt the same way when Anya took him to the toy store. Once the guilt became too heavy, he'd spend that galleon money on several drinks.

"_Arsehole!" Anya screamed at him, throwing a full bottle of whiskey at his head. Scabior dodged it and it shattered on the wall. Chibs was chirping and screaming from the commotion and Little Baby scratched at the door. _

"_I said I would give ya money to get rid of it!" Scabior screamed back at her. "You stupid bitch, what did ya spend tha' money on?" _

"_I didn't spend it on anything! Don't you want to be part of this?" Her black eyeliner was smearing and fell down her face and her hair was untamed and uncombed. She had been silent and in distress for several days. Then she told him the news. He could've gone his whole life without knowing this. "This is our child. We can be a family. Little Baby, Chibs, you, me—" _

"_I don' want ya fuckin' baby!" _

"_I DIDN'T HAVE THIS BY MYSELF!" _

"'_ow do I even know it's mine?" Scabior shrugged and coldly smirked at her. He wasn't sure if she had slept around. She wasn't the type, but he was desperately trying to grasp on the life he once had. Where he could come and go and not have to worry about a possibly fat Anya and an annoying screaming baby. _

"_YOU SON OF A-" She barely finished her sentence before she was charging at him. She weighed ninety pounds and could barely hold her own against him. He held her hands to keep her from hitting him. She fought hard, but she wasn't going to beat him. _

"_Stop it!" He screamed at her. "Get the fuck out!" _

"_This is my home too!" _

"_I bough' this flat. You can get yer arse out!" _

"_You can't make me." _

_Scabior picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. He carried her down the stairs and ignored her weak punches and scratches at his back as he made his way down the stairs, through the door and tossed her on the dirty street. It was dark and windy already. Regardless he turned his back to her and slammed the door shut. He didn't know if she had her wand. He didn't care. He heard a crackle of thunder and used his wand to draw the curtains. He placed a cigarette to his mouth, lit it with the tip of his wand and grabbed a half empty bottle of whiskey and drank from it. He ignored the thumps on the door and listened to the sounds of the rain. _

"Can you hear me?" Rodolphus said, snapping his fingers.

"Must've passed out." Fenir added. Scabior opened his eyes halfway. Rodolphus glared at him and looked back down at Scabior's crumpled body. Rabastan kicked his boot lightly into his ribs until the youngest of the four began to stir.

"'How long was I out fer?" Scabior asked rubbing his head.

"About a minute." Rabastan answered. Rodolphus gave him a sharp look. "What? He asked a question." Rabastan said defensively.

"Ready to begin again?" Rodolphus asked, ignoring Rabastan.

"Yeah…" Scabior couldn't breathe through his nose any longer and his head felt like it had been hit by a dragon's tail. He could use a drink or two. It had been a long night.

"What's their names?"

"Ivory. That's all I remember that was on the list. Ivory 'arson."

"Really?" Rodolphus asked raising his eyebrows. Scabior cursed to himself. His right eye twitched with pain. He fucked up again. "Well, while you were enjoying your nap time, I did a little snooping."

"Shit." He mumbled.

"That's what I said." Rabastan added.

Rodolphus reached into his robes and read the list out loud. He emphasized every name and syllable.

"Marcy Castillo." He read, circling around Scabior. Scabior reached into jacket for his wand, but Rabastan had his wand pointed to his temple.

"William McKinney."

His eyes scanned the area for any possible exits, but he was dead no matter how fast he tried to run. No one could deflect a Killing Curse.

"Natalie Parker, Demetri Holland, Daniel Hallway, Betty Clark."

"Okay, okay. I'll tell ya wot ya wanna know."

"Ssh, ssh, ssh." Rodolphus said pressing his finger to his mouth before taking a drag of his cigar and exhaling a cloud of smoke. "It's impolite to talk when someone is reading out loud." Scabior looked up at Greyback. The werewolf leaned against the wall, growling every so often.

"Audrey Clobb, Ivory Sweets-Harson—Well, you got one. I'd say one out of twenty is pretty bad, but there's someone on this list you might like to know."

"No." Scabior said shaking his head.

"Yes." Rodolphus nodded. "Anya Salvatore Molyneux. Her crimes range from drawing political cartoons of us. I remember reading about her. She got my facial structure right, but I didn't appreciate the caveman hair and my nose isn't _that_ Roman. However, I did find out your last name is Molyneux too." Scabior was growing angrier by the second.

"No, it's not." Scabior lied.

"Tsk, tsk." Rodolphus patronized. "You are a terrible liar, Snatcher. Now, what relation is she to you and don't lie. You know why I served fourteen years in that wretched Azkaban cell? Hm? Do you?"

"Yes."

"For what?"

"Torturin' the Longbottoms, yeah, I know the story."

"Oh good! Then you know it could happen to you just as easily. Maybe I should give you a sample."

Before Scabior could protest the most overwhelming pain took over his body. He didn't hear, he didn't see, all he could do was feel dreaded, sharpened, heated knives piercing into every part of his body. Seconds of what seemed like hours, the curse stopped. He caught his breath and opened his watery eyes. Then another wave of pain hit him, but this one did not last as long.

"Stop! Stop! Please!" Scabior screamed.

"Then you better start spilling some truth. What happened, boy?"

His heart was beating out of control. Bellatrix couldn't concentrate her anger. She just radiated it, unlike her husband. The calculating, calm ones he feared more than the taunting bullies.

"M-my wife and I-Ivory, they stunned us. M-me and Wolf, I mean." He tripped over every word as if he was going to cry. He wanted to save his own life, but spare the lives of his wife and son as well.

"Ah, that's cute. Your wife stunned you? The last time my wife stunned me was during our honeymoon." Rodolphus smirked. Greyback looked at him as if he couldn't decide if he was being facetious or he was serious. Regardless Scabior continued breathlessly.

"Th-they tied us up and Wolfie decided to leave wit' 'is wife. I don' know where they went."

"How did you get untied?"

"I 'onestly don' remember."

"_Crucio." _

Scabior screamed so loud it felt as if it bounced off the wall and struck him in the face. His limbs began to grow spastic and his whole body ached.

"How did you get untied?" Rodolphus asked again, just as calmly.

"They untied me!"

"Why?"

"I don' know."

"Cru—"

"No!" Scabior said. "I convinced 'em to do so. I was gonna turn 'em in. I swear."

"I have no reason to believe you, kid." Rodolphus spat.

"I swear. I don' know where they are. I don'."

"I don't believe that."

"It's truth, I swear it-"

Rodolphus raised his wand, but stopped suddenly. Rabastan ripped his sleeve up and stared at his Dark Mark writhing on his forearm.

"We have to go." Rabastan said urgently. Scabior thought Rodolphus was sure to kill him. Leading Snatchers were few and far between, and he couldn't risk the backlash of disrupting progress for the Dark Lord. Rodolphus growled and kicked Scabior in the stomach and pulled him up by his hair. Scabior didn't have the energy to back away, he barely had the energy to open his eyes.

"Do your job, Snatcher. And never disrupt my dinner again." He slammed his head back on the floor and with that both men apparated quickly, leaving the two lowly Snatchers alone. Scabior covered his stomach as if they would come again. His whole body ached and he could barely keep his eyes open. Greyback snickered at him, but Scabior didn't care. He didn't have the strength to fight him. His back hunched as he stood on his feet and made his way toward the front door.

"Do I get my payment?" Greyback asked.

Scabior ignored him and dragged his feet closer to the door. His mind was in a fumble and he couldn't focus on one single thought. He heard Greyback mumble under his breath and his rumbly growls rang in his ears.

"I better have my payment."

Scabior looked up at him blankly. "Fuck off." He said, opening the door and apparating with a crackle. His body was in agony. Where else could he go to relieve it? It hurt to lift his arm to heal it and he always fucked something up, there were too many muggle sympathizers in St. Mungos. He was back to square one in his agony. He had to heal himself the old fashioned way. He apparated to the pub, forcing him on the stool and ordered several shots of whiskey to dull his roaring senses.

He finished six shots in nearly three minutes. His head ceased its pounding and he could move his limbs without much trouble. A few minutes and several shots later he was getting drunker and drunker. He wanted to forget his fault, his run in with the Lestrange's, Colt, Anya, his mother. He wanted to never remember a single thing about his past. He should've had the amnesia, not Anya. When he was inside his cell, he wanted his family. He wanted to watch his son walk on curled toes and open arms toward him. He wanted to rub Anya's feet and fuck her between Colt's naps.

It was sexier when they had to be quiet.

The sad truth was as the days turned into months, his memory of them disappeared with the new yesterdays. Sometimes Anya had blue eyes, black or green. Colt's face changed from chipmunk cheeks to a sickly appearance. With his memory fading, he missed them less. It was easier to have never seen them again. He remembered them as they were and vice versa. His son wouldn't have to look at him as the criminal he had become. They were better off without him.

He was drunk by an hour's time. He kept drinking to ease the pain in his body and consciousness. He wrapped his hand around another shot and downed it in one swift gulp. A woman brushed past his seat. She had short hair, dingy brown and she was so skinny he could hold her thigh in one hand. Regardless, she began to look sexy in his state. He tried to stand up when he nearly fell against a bigger man.

"Oi!" The man growled. "Watch where you walk, boy!" The man growled. Scabior finished his shot and burped before speaking. The man looked familiar. He was bald, large man, smelled of cheap cigars, but sincere eyes.

"Well maybe if ya weren' so fuckin' fat ya wouldn'-Cutter?" Scabior slurred and swayed.

The man frowned at him and his look softened, but he still didn't look happy to see him.

"Come here." He said pulling him by the arm roughly. Scabior reached in his pocket and threw a couple galleons on the pub counter.

"Aren't ya 'appy to see me?"

"I am—No, did you see your family?"

"Wot?" Scabior burped, leaning on his old friend.

"I'll take that as a no, come on."

Scabior narrowed his eyes at him. He struggled to stand on his feet, but he fell forward. Cutter caught him with a large arm and forced him back up on his feet. "Wot 'appened?"

"It's not what happened, it's—" Cutter cut himself off. He looked over his shoulder and motioned Scaboior to come along.

"Move. Quickly."

"Why?" _Cutting asked as he looked at the mutton pie. Scabior shrugged his shoulders. _

"_Wot do ya mean?" Scabior asked, shrugging his shoulders. "Charlie's mum Nell dropped it off fer ya." Scabior smiled. _

"_Ah, Nellie's pies." Cutting said, rubbing his hands together. He smiled in delight. "Have a bite, son." _

"_No, sir." Scabior said. His stomach turned at the thought. "Anya already fed me. Enjoy, sir." _

"_You're missing out." He said, taking out his knife and cutting his first slice into the pie. Scabior watched closely as he plunged his fork into the tender meat and devoured it bit by bit. _

"_Holy mother of Merlin," Cutting sighed. He had that look on his face that every chef dreams of, the look of pure satisfaction and heaven as they eat from their plate. "This is wonderful. Are you sure you want none of this amazing pie? You're missing something really great." _

"_I'm sorry to miss out, sir. But I'll 'ave to pass." Scabior said politely as another juicy bite disappeared into Cutting's mouth. _

"_You don't know what you're missing." Cutting said. Scabior watched him nearly eat a quarter of the pie before Scabior had enough. This was wonderful. He couldn't stop grinning and by then he was sure he looked like an idiot. _

"_What?" Cutting asked. _

"_Nothin' sir, nothin'." Scabior said, dipping his top half of his body to him before leaving. He bit his tongue to hold in a cackle. _

"_Are you sure?" _

"Yea'." Scabior said as he tried to stand after falling into the dirty cobble stone road. Cutter picked him up by his limp, skinny arms and held him up again.

"Cutter, where's Anya?"

Cutter didn't say anything. He mumbled under his breath and pulled him along. Scabior bumped shoulders and arms with passing wizards. Some ignored it, others made snide comments.

"Filthy drunkard." One wizard said.

"Suck my arse!" Scabior said back to the rude passerby. Cutter led him along quickly before the thick and bigger looking wizard took out his wand.

"Idiot." Cutter said. "Keep your mouth shut."

They reached a rickety, old apartment in the darkest realms of Knockturn. It seemed like an absurd concept that there would be a "bad" side to Knockturn and there was very few who were brave enough to travel there alone.

"Here." Cutter said, standing Scabior up. He leaned against the grimy apartment as Cutter knocked on the door. Scabior's glazy eyes looked around the area. He couldn't keep his vision focused. All he heard were murmurs and a woman speaking in a foreign tongue. His head rolled to the side and the door was open. It was surrounded in darkness except for one small candle lit in a woman's hand. She looked at him with narrowed dark eyes. Her skin was waxy and deep wrinkled under the light. She mumbled at him in Russian. Regardless of her creepy, horror book appearance he moved forward.

"Family." He slurred, pointing to the darkness. "I came to see my family."

She made a grunting noise and reached into her robes to retrieve her wand. The tip of her wand lit up and she mumbled once again. Scabior shook his head. "I 'ave no idea what yer sayin', ma'am." He sighed. "Anya. Colt." He said.

Her look softened, but the Russian continued rambling. She directed her wand towards a staircase in the far corner of the room behind the woman. Scabior pointed up the staircase.

"Anya, there?" He asked. She nodded and mumbled in Russian. He turned to Cutter who looked at him with cold distance.

"Is it okay?"

Cutter nodded and turned his back to walk away. Scabior stayed as far away from the woman as possible to get to the stairs. He wrapped his hand around the banister and tripped his way up the stairs. The farther he came up the stairs. He could see a light coming from a room. He dragged his feet and stuck close to the wall as he made his way. He didn't know why he pressed himself to the wall like a distressed spider, but through his hazy mind it seemed to make sense.

He heard a little boy's small voice whisper: "I'm sick of running, mummy."

"I know, darling." Anya's voice said. He peered into the room through the cracked door. Colt was laid on a cot and Anya lay next to him, stroking his brown hair. Her long black hair draped over her shoulder. "The final battle is coming. We'll win. Then we'll go to the beach. I promise you."

"Is the funny man my daddy?"

"Who?"

"The man with the weird hair, mummy."

"Colt-"

"He looks weird."

"Colt-"

"He looks like me, but weirder. Is he my daddy?"

Anya sighed and kissed his forehead. "Yes, darling."

"Where was he? How come he isn't running with us?"

Anya was quiet for a few moments. "Sometimes people do things with the right intention, but it's the wrong thing to do. Do you understand?"

"What's intention mean, mummy?"

"A plan or action."

"Oh." Colt's breathing evened after a few minutes and his eyes started to flutter shut. Scabior wanted to hug him goodnight or explain to him what he did to deserve any time in Azkaban. As much as he tried to ignore it, he was his son. His bottom lip stiffened, but he dared not move.

"Can daddy teach me to play Quidditch?"

Anya nodded and kissed his head. "Ask him, but for now sleep. Goodnight, Colt."

"Goodnight, mummy." Anya blew out his candle and stood up. Scabior could feel his eyes burn and the lump in his throat grew. He couldn't believe himself. He was crying over his son wanting him to teach him to play Quidditch. It was a task so simple, but it meant the world to him. Of course he would teach him to play Quidditch. He would teach him, but what position would he play? Scabior stepped away from the door and turned around. He bit his lip and tried to coach himself not to cry.

"Don' ya cry, ya bastard." He muttered out loud. "If ya cry, yer not a man." He bit his tongue to keep the tears at bay. He placed his hand over his eyes and sniffled.

"What are you doing?" Anya snapped through a loud whisper. He felt her walk closer to him and her accusing eyes placed on his back.

Scabior pretended as if he didn't hear her as he tried to push the tears back.

"Nothin'." He responded. "I-I got dust in my eyes. I was gettin' it out." He wiped his eye with the back of his gloved hand. "See, better."

"What the hell do you want?" Anya asked, frowning at him. Scabior turned around and stroked her cheek.

"Anya." He said. "I came to talk to ya. Yer wot I thought 'bout when I was locked up."

Anya turned her head away. "It's too late for that. I can't."

"Anya."

"Scabior-"

He pulled her by her hips and felt the soft skin under her undershirt. Anya pushed him back, holding her arms on his chest and pushed him away.

"Scabior, stop!" She snapped. "We can be together as parents, but that part of our lives is over."

"No, it's not."

Anya's head ducked down to her chest. Only her eyes would look into his. She scanned around the room and sighed.

"Yes, it is. It was over the minute you were locked up in Az-"

"I thought you were wit' me to the end." Scabior said, brushing wisps of black hair behind her ear. She turned her head away from him and hit his hand with the back of hers. "Ya took vows, ya know?"

"When have you ever taken our vows seriously?" Anya folded her arms. "You didn't take it seriously when you slept with every other whore that gave you a glimpse of her knockers. I don't know what you have anyway. Sod off."

"I don' 'ave anything. There's potions and charms fer tha'!" He should know. He took a potion only a week or so ago.

"Sod off."

"No." He ran his fingers down her shoulders leaving behind a trail of goose bumps.

"Scabior, stop!"

"Anya." He placed his hands on either side of her face. He pressed his forehead to hers and kissed her nose.

"You smell like whiskey." She grumbled.

"I'm a li'le drunk."

"You're always a little drunk." She sighed heavily through her nose and let his lips touch hers. He ran his hands through her hair, pressing his body against her pelvis. Scabior picked her up under her bum, never letting his lips leave hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He walked toward Colt's bedroom and she shook her head.

"No. Colt is in there."

"So?"

"So, we're not going to have sex in front of our child. What if he wakes up? He'll be scarred for life."

"I walked in on my mum and Rooster. At least we both aged well and our bodies are still firm."

"Stop it." Anya said, looking around the room. "Erm…"

Scabior nodded toward the room behind him. "In there. Wot 'bout there."

"No, no." Anya shook her head. "That's not our room."

"The bathroom!" Scabior said, moving to the side.

"I don't want to do it in the bathroom. People shit in there and it echoes."

"I can' 'old ya forever! Make up ya mind."

"Alright, alright." She said. "We'll go into Colt's room, but you have to be quiet."

"I'm quiet, yer the loud one."

"Arse." She said as he placed her on the floor. She held her index finger on her lips and opened the door slowly. She peeked into the room and heard Colt breathing softly.

"Take off your shoes." She said.

"Why?"

"So you don't track mud and make noise."

"Fine." He said leaning forward to untie his boots. He unlaced one and stood on one foot to pull it off. His vision blurred and he fell to the side catching himself on the wall to the right of him.

"SSSSH!" Anya hushed him again.

"Sorry!"

He took off the other one and left it by the door and closed it softly. He pulled off his scarf, jacket, vest and shirt.

"Merlin, why do you wear so many layers?" she asked, unfolding her blanket on her cot.

"I live in the fuckin' wood. What do ya think?"

She shrugged her shoulders and prepared her cot. She placed the blanket on top and fluffed the pillows. She slipped under the blanket and waited for him patiently. Although her bed was on the farther corner, she looked over every so often to see Colt once again.

"Be quiet, do you understand?"

"Duh. I know." He said.

Anya nodded and did her best to scoot as far on the edge to make room for him.

"I won' be able to fit."

"It doesn't matter. You're going to be on top."

"Why can' you be on top?" Scabior whined. "Why do I 'ave to do all the work?"

"Why are we arguing about this? Do you want to have sex or not?"

"I do!" He sat on the edge of the cot and slipped his legs under the blanket. Half of his body was hanging off the edge and his feet could plant itself on the floor.

"Well?" Anya said looking at him.

"Well, wot?"

"Aren't you going to go at it?"

"Ya took a year to get ready, I 'ave to warm up again."

"Well, warm up."

"Ya can' just turn it on when ya want, Anya." She rolled her eyes. "The attitude is not 'elping anything. It's penis repellant."

"Great Merlin, give me strength." Anya rolled on her side and ran her fingers down his chest and dipped her fingers into his trousers and back again. "Better?"

"Keep goin'." He said.

Her hands were halfway down his abdomen when she touched the top of his flaccid member.

"You still don't like wearing undergarments?" She asked shaking her head.

"Do ya still wear sweaters in the summer?"

"Hush." She said, pulling him into a kiss. His hands ran down her neck, stopping to pull the strap of her gown to reveal one of her breast and running his finger along her nipple.

Colt made a noise and she removed her hands and quickly pulled up her gown. She leaned forward to check on him and sighed with relief.

"Okay." She said. "Continue."

Scabior pulled her hair off her pale thin shoulders and kissed down her neck, running his tongue in small circles.

"Switch positions." Anya said. The two of them tried to move the same direction at once and then the other direction. They fumbled and bumped into each other like first years on broomsticks.

"Move your leg." Scabior said to her as his knee hit something hard.

"Ouch. Your knee is on my leg."

"Sorry."

"I think you bruised it."

"I said sorry."

"Never mind, I'm fine."

"Okay." Scabior checked behind him and pushed her gown up to feel the skin beneath her. Instead of the soft warm skin he had looked forward to, he felt cotton material.

"Fuck, I forgot to take these off."

"'ow do you forget?"

"Shut up. I can take them off." She said reaching under her gown and wiggling her hips to remove them off her hips. She stretched and pulled at them, kicking her legs.

"Precious cargo!" Scabior exclaimed as one knee came close to his erect member.

"Ssssh! Sorry, goddamn it!"

Scabior sighed and reached for his jacket, pulling his knife out of his pocket. He slipped it between her skin and the material. "Don't move." He said ripped the material on both ends and tossed it to the side.

"There." He said, putting it in his jacket.

"I don't have a lot of those!"

"I'll buy ya new ones. Don' worry 'bout it."

She sighed and pulled him into a kiss. His hands found her warm skin and gently stroked her. She moaned against his mouth as his fingers slipped inside of her. Her gasps became louder with every pump of his strong hand.

"Sssh." He said.

"Sorry."

He trailed kisses down her neck and chest, lifting up her gown and ducking between her legs. She pulled the blanket over his head as he licked along the outside of her wet folds until he reached her nub.

Under the blanket it was hot and left little room to breathe. He moved the blanket enough to let some light and cool air through. Anya quickly moved the blanket again.

"Stop it, Anya." He said moving the blanket.

"I don't want Colt to see."

"But I can' fuckin' breathe!"

"Forget it then!" Anya sighed throwing her arms up in the air.

Scabior exhaled heavily through mouth and came up from the blanket. "This isn't sexy."

"We can go to sleep then."

He shook his head. "I'll make it quick." He missed the old days when they could screw where they wanted. The kitchen counter, the kitchen floor, her bedroom, the bathtub, the walls, the living room sofa, the closet, the park. As he thought he wondered why the hell he was in a hurry to get back to see her with their kid blindly stepping in front of his access to Anya.

He crawled back up on top of her and pressed his head into her opening before pushing into her. She was still tight and warm just as he remembered her. He moaned against her neck, pumping into her slowly at first. She shuddered against his ear.

"Merlin…" She whispered, wrapping her legs around his waist.

Since he wasn't worried about her pleasure it was quick enough. He only needed a good minute to get his bearings and another minute to reach his point.

Colt moved in his bed and she whispered for him to stop. Scabior froze and looked over his shoulder. Colt turned his back to them and snored softly. Wonderful, he had to start all over again. He started again this time getting to his half way point when Colt moved again.

"God damn it." He mumbled stopping again, waiting for any sign for him to be awake.

"Okay." Anya nodded.

"Remember when I said ya can' just stop and start it? Muggles call this orgasm denial."

"I'm sorry. He keeps moving."

"Let me fuckin' finish. It's startin' to 'urt." It made the sex better to stop and start again in a masochistic way. It kept building and stopping and adding and stopping. He squeezed his eyes tightly and his pace picked up. The cot creaked with his movements and the two of them moaning and sighing together, it felt like old times. He gripped her thighs with the friction. He cursed under his breath as the tension was building. He was on the verge, this was it.

"Stop-" Anya said.

It was too late. He came into her with his head on her chest, taking one of her exposed breasts in his mouth. He was lost in his own orgasm that he didn't pay attention to the sounds he was making and he didn't care until he heard a small voice say.

"Mummy?"

"Shit." Scabior said into her chest.

"Sweetheart?" Anya said sweetly.

"What are you doing?" Scabior didn't want to look. He had the drunken notion that if he remained absolutely still and kept his eyes closed, Colt wouldn't see him.

"Nothing, sweetheart. Daddy and I were just… hugging."

"Is daddy sleeping?"

"No. He's just smelling mummy's new perfume."

Anya hit him on the back of the head. Scabior looked up at him and smiled. Colt blinked at him and turned his back to them falling asleep again.

"Shit." Scabior said. Pulling out of her and zipping up his trousers.

"He might not remember it." Anya rationalized, pulling her gown down. "Sometimes he sleepwalks. He hasn't done anything dangerous, but he'll sometimes go into my room and try to play with his toys."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, it's cute. We lived in a flat and I always lock the door so he can't get outside and accidentally hurt himself. But you used to do the same sometimes."

"I did?"

"Yep. You would try to cook or do spells with a whiskey bottle. Fairly harmless things and you snore."

"I do not."

"Yes, you do. Like the Hogwarts Express whistle."

"Well, ya talk in yer sleep."

"You're an active sleeper. I don't know how you became a Snatcher."

Scabior moved his sleeping spot from the cot to the floor and wrapped his jacket around himself.

"Why are you down there?" Anya asked.

"'Cause I want to sleep."

"You can sleep here."

"Not without a backache. Goodnight, Anya."

She leaned forward to kiss him and ran her hand down his chin. "Goodnight, Snatcher."

It was a couple of minutes of silence later when Scabior's eyes were becoming heavily and he was drifting off to sleep, he felt a sharp pressure in his ribs.

"Scabior?"

"Huh?" He said, opening one eye to see Anya staring at him with her perfect foot poking him. He took her foot in his hand and ran his fingers up and down the top to her shin. "We need to talk."

Scabior blinked up at her. "'bout wot?"

"About this."

"Wot's this?"

"Us."

"Wot 'bout us."

She sighed and motioned him closer. He grumbled under his breath and pushed his tired body toward her. She spoke barely above a whisper.

"I know I was on your list."

"Obviously."

"I am constantly moving from shelter to shelter. The battle will be over soon, but depending on which side will win-"

"No matter wot, I'm gonna take care of you and Colt. I love both of ya."

"You say that, but if it came down to your life or ours, who would you pick?"

"Anya." He grumbled. "I would try to save all our lives. I told ya I would protect you."

She smirked at him and shook her head. "I'm not blind. I know what you all do to men, women, children-" She stopped herself before shoving her hair over her shoulder. "I shouldn't be sleeping with you. Who knows how many muggleborns and blood traitors you raped-"

"Stop it."

"Why? If the truth hurts, you'll always be in pain."

"Wotever I did, I did it for you."

Anya pushed herself up on her elbows. "For me? You raped and killed for me? Since You-Know-Who released you, did you try to look for me? Did you even care? Can you look me in the eyes and say that you've only did your job? That you've never hurt another woman or anyone intentionally."

He was going to lie. He was going to look into her brown eyes and say he'd never done such a thing. It was an obvious lie, but he didn't want to lose her. What harm could it do if she didn't know? But then he thought of that mudblood wearing a similar perfume to hers, but he thought it was her. If he didn't find out it was Harry Potter in time, would he have continued? She looked about sixteen or seventeen, but it was her scent—Anya's scent. He was desperate. He had to rationalize his point of view or else he would seem criminal to her. It was of no use, Anya had her opinions that weren't changing.

"Wot does this 'ave to do wit' anything?"

"_Everything._" She emphasized. "How can I be a fighter for everyone else against _him_ when I'm fucking a snatcher?"

"Ya didn't resist too much when I was shaggin' ya."

"You are the father of my child-"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything. Ya think yer better than me, but ya sure wanted to get shagged so badly."

"Piss off."

"Not to fun when the question is flipped 'round on ya, is it?"

"I can't ignore this."

"Then I'll leave. I still want to see my son."

"When we win this war, we'll see. I'll make sure you never see your son again."

Scabior narrowed his eyes at her. He wanted to slap her around, but he couldn't risk causing a stir and also waking up Colt.

"I wouldn' get too cocky. And besides not even Azkaban can keep me away from wot's mine." He dared her. His look softened and he ran his hand up her thigh. "Anya," He said softly. "We've been through a lot together. After what those little shits did to ya. Everything I did is for ya. I 'ave loads of money saved up. I'm gonna buy ya a 'ouse in Scotland, Colt will 'ave some new toys, clothes, room to run 'round, anything he wants. This pays enough to get us by. I promise you. It won' be more than a couple of months. I'll get you away from Death Eaters, war, everything. Ya 'ave to be patient wit' me."

Anya exhaled and looked at Colt. "You have to promise me this won't last forever."

"I promise." He said sitting up on his knees and putting each hand on one side of her face. He pulled her into a deep kiss. She touched his hand and put her forehead to his once the kiss was broken.

"Scabior." She said in a light airy voice. Her eyes were heavy lidded and twinkled with tears. He couldn't resist a smile. She loved it when she said his name.

"_Scabior?" Capucine said. "Are you listening?" _

"_No." Scabior said placing his elbows on the table. His steely eyes were directed on the monkey swinging from the ice box to the table and back. Rooster was growing increasingly agitated by his brow knitting closer together and his crossed arms were tighter. _

_Capucine threw her hands up in the air. "I can't believe you! I never raised you to be a little fais chier. How could you let your girlfriend stay out on the streets when she's pregnant? I never raised you like this! I taught you to have respect for women and above all taking responsibility for what you've done. When I was pregnant with you, I had no one. Don't you think for a moment I was scared? Didn't you think that I wished I had someone to be there for me?" _

"'_ow do I know it's even mine?" _

"_If you were floppin' around on top of her then you know there's a chance, boy-" Rooster interjected. _

"_Rooster, this is my child, I can handle this." _

"_Yea'." Scabior said, pulling out a cigarette. He could feel Anya staring at him. Her eyes were red and puffy and her red hair was uncombed and tossed into a messy bun. She stared at him, her puffy lips were poked out in a pout and her eyes searched for his, but he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. "Tha' means stay out of it, ya trashy, dirty blood mud-" _

_Rooster's arms unhooked and his fist were balled. Capucine placed her hand on his chest. "Stop! No fighting." _

"_Let me just kick his arse, just once-" _

"_NO! That's my child!" _

"_And he'll continue to act like one as long as you keep this up." _

_Capucine shook her head. Scabior smirked and lit his cigarette. Anya whimpered and burst into another fit of tears. Capucine rushed to console her and wrapped her arms around her. "It's alright, darling. You'll be fine. I don't care if he's not the father, I'll be there for you." She smoothed her hair down._

"_I never was with anyone else." _

"_I doubt tha'." _

"_Shut up." Rooster snapped at him. _

"_Mum!" _

"_Both of you, enough of this!" Capucine said, rubbing Anya's arm. "This isn't about you, Scabior or you, Rooster. This is about my grandchild." _

"_It's not yer grandchild, mum!" _

"_You sodding bastard!" Anya spat. "It's yours!" _

"_You shouldn't be upsetting her." Capucine said. _

"_She shouldn't be claimin' somethin' that ain't mine, slag!" _

_Anya leapt from her seat at the table with her nails barred like talons. Shocked by her reaction, Scabior leapt from his seat at the table and scooted away from her. Capucine steered her in her seat. "No. No. You have to think about the baby." _

"_Test it and I'll believe you." Scabior said, exhaling smoke in her direction. Capucine fanned it the other way. _

"_No more smoking around her." She said, walking his way and snatching it from between his fingers. "When you find out it's yours you're going to feel mighty sorry for what you're doing and saying." _

"_No, I won'." _

_Capucine ignored him and continued. "And then you two are going to get married." _

"_WOT?" Scabior exclaimed. "I'm not getting' married to 'er 'cause she's preggars!" _

"_PISS OFF!" Anya yelled at him. _

"_Yes, you will." Capucine said, crossing her arms. "I don't care. It can be public or private, as long as it gets done. Your child deserves the best and to have its parents together." _

"_Mum," Scabior started as he reached for another cigarette. "Two things. One it's not my kid and two even if it is mine, I'm not marryin' the slag." He finished folding his arms. _


End file.
